1622.33 
C-26 
c .  3 


Geology  l/cpf. 

Reserve  Room 


U  oiMIdci  1% 

STATE  OF  ILLINOIS  ^ 

DEPARTMENT  OF  REGISTRATION  AND  EDUCATION 


DIVISION  OF  THE 

STATE  GEOLOGICAL  SURVE 

FRANK  W.  DE  WOLF.  Chief 


Cooperative  Mining  Series 

BULLETIN  26 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 

BY 

GILBERT  H.  CADY 


ILLINOIS  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 


Prepared  under  a  cooperative  agreement  between  the  Illinois  State  Geologica  Survey 
Division,  the  Engineering  Experiment  Station  of  the  University  of 
Illinois,  and  the  U.  S  Bureau  of  Mines 


PRINTED  BY  AUTHORITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS 


URBANA,  ILLINOIS 
1921 


The  Forty-seventh  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  with 
a  view  of  conserving  the  lives  of  the  mine  workers  and  the  mineral 
resources  of  the  State,  authorized  an  investigation  of  the  coal  resources 
and  mining  practices  of  Illinois  by  the  Department  of  Mining  Engi¬ 
neering  of  the  University  of  Illinois  and  the  State  Geological  Survey 
Division  in  cooperation  with  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines.  A 
cooperative  agreement  was  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
and  by  representatives  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

The  direction  of  this  investigation  is  vested  in  the  Director  of  the 
United  States  Bureau  of  Mines,  the  Chief  of  the  State  Geological 
Survey  Division,  and  the  Director,  Engineering  Experiment  Station, 
University  of  Illinois,  who  jointly  determined  the  methods  to  be 
employed  in  the  conduct  of  the  work  and  exercise  general  editorial 
supervision  over  the  publication  of  the  results,  but  each  party  to  the 
agreement  directs  the  work  of  its  agent  in  carrying  on  the  investiga¬ 
tion  thus  mutually  agreed  on. 

The  reports  of  the  investigation  are  issued  in  the  form  of  bulle¬ 
tins,  either  by  the  State  Geological  Survey  Division,  the  Engineering 
Experiment  Station,  University  of  Illinois,  or  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Mines.  For  copies  of  the  bulletins  issued  by  the  State 
Geological  Survey  Division,  address  State  Geological  Survey  Division, 
Urbana,  Illinois ;  for  those  issued  by  the  Engineering  Station,  address 
Engineering  Station,  University  of  Illinois,  Urbana,  Illinois;  and  for 
those  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  address  Director,  U.  S. 
Bureau  of  Mines,  Washington,  D.  C.  (See  list  at  end  of  book.) 


STATE  OF  ILLINOIS 


DEPARTMENT  OF  REGISTRATION  AND  EDUCATION 

DIVISION  OF  THE 

STATE  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 

FRANK  W.  DE  WOLF.  Chief 


Cooperative  Mining  Series 


BULLETIN  26 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 

BY 

GILBERT  H.  CADY 


ILLINOIS  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 


Prepared  under  a  cooperative  agreement  between  the  Illinois  State  Geological  Survey 
Division,  the  Engineering  Experiment  Station  of  the  University  of 
Illinois,  and  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines 


PRINTED  BY  AUTHORITY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS 


URBANA,  ILLINOIS 
1921 


STATE  OF  ILLINOIS 

DEPARTMENT  OF  REGISTRATION  AND  EDUCATION 


DIVISION  OF  THE 


STATE  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 

FRANK  W.  DeWOLF,  Chief 


Committee  of  the  Board  of  Natural  Resources 

and  Conservation 

W.  H.  H.  Miller,  Chairman 

Director  of  Registration  and  Education 

Kendric  C.  Babcock 

Representing  the  President  of  the  University 
of  Illinois 

Rollin  D.  Salisbury 
Geologist 


50736 


CONTENTS 


PART  I— GEOLOGIC  RELATIONS  IN  DISTRICT  IV 

PAGE 

Introduction  .  9 

Importance  of  the  area .  9 

Acknowledgments  .  9 

Geography  .  11 

Topography  and  glacial  drift .  11 

Transportation  and  markets .  15 

Towns  .  15 

Use  of  drill  records .  15 

Rock  formations  of  District  IV .  17 

Coal-bearing  rocks  .  17 

General  description  .  17 

Divisions  of  the  Pennsylvanian  system .  20 

Pottsville  formation  .  20 

General  description  .  20 

Strata  comprising  the  Pottsville  formation .  25 

Carbondale  formation  .  31 

General  description  .  31 

Strata  comprising  the  Carbondale  formation .  32 

McLeansboro  formation  .  37 

General  description  .  37 

Distinctive  horizons  .  37 

Limestone  above  No.  6  coal .  41 

Variegated  below  No.  7  coal .  41 

No.  7  coal .  41 

Lonsdale  limestone  .  42 

No.  8  coal  .  42 

Carlinville  limestone  .  43 

Higher  distinctive  horizons  .  44 

Chemical  value  of  coals .  45 

Structure  .  57 

PART  II— COUNTY  REPORTS 

Introduction  .  58 

Cass  County .  62 

Production  and  mines  .  62 

Coal-bearing  rocks  . 62 

Dip  of  the  rocks .  65 

No.  2  coal  .  65 


(3) 


ILLINOIS  STATE  LIBRARY 


Christian  County  .  67 

Coal-bearing  rocks  .  67 

DeWitt  County  .  68 

Introduction  . 68 

Surficial  deposits  .  68 

Coal-bearing  rocks  .  69 

Structure  .  74 

Coals  .  74 

Fukon  County .  76 

Production  and  mines .  76 

Surficial  deposits  .  76 

Coal-bearing  rocks  .  76 

Structure  .  82 

Minable  coals .  84 

No.  6  coal  .  84 

Distribution  and  occurrence  .  84 

Character  .  .  84 

No.  5  coal  .  87 

Mine  notes  .  91 

Coal  beds  below  No.  5  coal .  105 

Knox  County  .  106 

Production  and  mines .  106 

Surficial  deposits .  106 

Coal-bearing  rocks  .  107 

Mine  notes  .  115 

Logan  County  .  117 

Production  and  mines  .  117 

Surficial  deposits  .  117 

C:a!-bearing  rocks  .  119 

Mine  no'es  .  123 

McLean  County  .  127 

Production  and  mines .  127 

Surficial  deposits  .  127 

Coal-bearirg  rocks  .  127 

Mine  notes  .  132 

Macon  County  .  139 

Production  and  mines  .  139 

Coal-bearing  rocks  .  139 

Known  minable  coals  .  144 

No.  5  coal . 144 

Mine  notes  .  145 

No.  6  coal  . 147 

Mine  notes  .  147 

Mason  County  .  148 

Introduction  .  148 

Surficial  deposits .  148 

Coal-bearing  rocks  .  148 

Menard  County  .  149 

Production  and  mires .  149 

Coal-bearing  rocks  .  149 

Mine  notes  . .  150 


(4) 


Peoria  County  .  155 

Coal-bearing  rocks  .  155 

Pottsville  formation  . 158 

Carbondale  formation  .  160 

No.  2  coal  .  161 

Strata  between  No.  2  and  No.  5  coals .  161 

No.  5  coal  .  161 

Distribution  .  161 

Strata  between  No.  5  and  No.  6  coals .  163 

Discussion  of  the  channel  sandstones .  165 

No.  6  coal  .  175 

McLeansboro  formation  .  176 

SJrata  between  No.  6  and  No.  7  coals .  176 

No.  7  coal  .  178 

Strata  above  No.  7  coal .  178 

Deposits  above  the  coal-bearing  rocks .  179 

The  minable  coals  of  Peoria  County .  180 

No.  7  coal  .  180 

Mine  notes  .  181 

No.  6  coal .  182 

Mine  notes  .  184 

No.  5  coal .  186 

Mine  notes  .  191 

No.  2  coal  .  199 

Mine  notes  .  200 

No.  1  coal .  202 

Sangamon  County .  203 

Production  and  mines  .  203 

Coal-bearing  rocks  .  203 

Kinds  of  rock  in  the  area .  204 

Surficial  materials  .  204 

Indurated  rocks  .  204 

General  description  .  204 

Pottsville  formation  .  205 

Carbondale  formation  .  205 

McLeansboro  formation  .  207 

Structure  .  208 

Tallula  and  Springfield  quadrangles .  209 

Coals  .  210 

Coals  below  No.  5 .  210 

No.  5  coal  .  210 

Characteristics  .  210 

Clay  seams  .  210 

Origin  .  212 

Concretions  .  213 

No.  6  coal  .  214 

No.  7  coal .  214 

No.  8  coal  .  214 

Mine  Notes  . 216 


(5) 


Page 

Schuyler  County  .  224 

Production  and  mines  .  224 

Coal-bearing  rocks  .  224 

Coals  .  225 

No.  5  coal .  225 

No.  2  coal .  225 

No.  1  coal .  225 

Tazewell  County  .  226 

Production  and  mines  .  226 

Surficial  deposits  .  226 

Coal-bearing  rocks  .  226 

Pottsville  formation  .  229 

Carbondale  formation  .  229 

McLeansboro  formation .  232 

Minable  coals  .  232 

No.  2  coal .  232 

No.  5  coal  .  232 

Mine  notes  .  233 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATE  PAGE 

I.  Map  of  District  IV,  showing  coal  mines,  and  having  special  refer¬ 
ence  to  the  depth,  position  and  distribution  of  No.  5  coal  .In  pocket 

II.  Sections  showing  the  stratigraphic  relations  of  the  coal-bear¬ 
ing  rocks  in  District  IV .  20 

III.  Structural  sections  of  the  coal-bearing  rocks  in  District  IV .In  pocket 

IV.  Graphic  average  analyses  of  Illinois  coals  by  beds . .  .  56 

V.  Map  showing  the  structure  of  the  Cannon  and  Avon  quadrangles 

and  an  adjoining  area  .  82 

VI.  Map  of  the  Peoria  quadrangle,  showing  the  approximate  eleva¬ 
tion,  in  feet  above  sea  level,  of  the  surface  of  bed  rock .  162 

VII.  Stratigraphic  sections  from  the  Springfield  quadrangle .  204 

VIII.  Structure  map  of  the  Tallula  and  Springfield  quadrangles,  lying 

mostly  in  Sangamon  County,  but  partly  in  Menard  County.  208 

FIGURE 

1.  Map  showing  area  covered  in  the  report .  10 

2.  Map  showing  position  of  the  glacial  moraines  in  District  IV.  . .  .  12 

3.  Map  showing  the  areal  geology  of  the  surface  upon  which  the 

Pennsylvanian  strata  were  deposited .  18 

4.  Diagrammatic  section  showing  the  distinctive  strata  of  the  Mc¬ 

Leansboro  formation  in  Districts  I,  IV,  and  VII .  36 

5.  Diagrammatic  sketch  showing  the  relations  of  horsebacks  to  rolls 

in  the  roof  and  floor,  and  the  accompanying  faulting .  87 

6.  Limestone  “boulder”  in  the  floor  of  the  Monmouth  Coal  Com¬ 

pany’s  mine  at  Brereton .  88 

7.  Sketch  of  a  clay  vein  (“horseback”)  in  the  Latham-Lincoln  Coal 

Company’s  mine  at  Lincoln  .  125 


(6) 


Page 

8.  Graphic  sections  showing  the  Pennsylvanian  succession  at  La 

Salle,  Bloomington  and  an  intermediate  point .  131 

9.  Section  of  the  slope  between  No.  2  and  No.  5  coals  in  the  Mc¬ 

Lean  County  Coal  Company’s  mine  at  Bloomington,  show¬ 
ing  diagrammatically  the  character  of  the  intervening  strata 

and  the  cracking  resulting  from  subsidence .  135 

10.  Sketch  of  a  clay  vein  (“horseback”)  in  the  Niantic  Carbon  Coal 

Company’s  mine  at  Niantic .  145 

11.  Sketch  of  a  nearly  vertical  clay  vein  (“horseback”)  in  the  Union 

Fuel  Company’s  No.  4  mine  at  Athens.  The  fracture  is  not 
accompanied  by  an  offset .  153 

12.  Sketch  of  an  inclined  clay  vein  (“horseback”)  in  the  Union  Fuel 

Company’s  No.  4  mine  at  Athens.  The  bed  is  offset .  154 

13.  Graphic  sections  showing  the  character  of  the  Pottsville  forma¬ 

tion  in  Peoria  County .  157 

14.  Photograph  of  a  block  of  the  roof  shale  of  No.  5  coal  in  Peoria 

County,  showing  laminated  structure  .  160 

15.  Sections  of  main  entry  of  the  Leitner  (formerly  German)  Coal 

Company’s  mine  showing  the  relations  of  the  channel  sand¬ 
stone  to  the  coal .  166 

16.  Photograph  of  the  roof  and  southwest  wall  of  the  main  entry  of 

the  Leitner  Coal  Company’s  mine .  167 

17.  Photograph  of  wall  of  the  main  entry  of  Leitner  Coal  Com¬ 

pany’s  mine  .  168 

18.  Photograph  of  wall  of  the  main  entry  in  the  Leitner  Coal  Com¬ 

pany’s  mine  .  169 

19.  Photograph  of  the  northeast  wall  of  the  main  entry  in  the  Leitner 

Coal  Company’s  mine .  170 

20.  Photograph  of  wall  of  the  main  entry  in  the  Leitner  Coal  Com¬ 

pany’s  mine  .  171 

21.  Diagrammatic  sketch,  indicating  probable  original  conditions, 

movements  and  results,  in  the  formation  of  the  channel  sand¬ 
stones  (“faults”)  of  Peoria  County .  172 

22.  Map  showing  the  position  of  the  channel  sandstone  south  of 

Peoria  .  174 

23.  Diagrammatic  sketch  showing  the  manner  in  which  faulting 

along  a  horseback  will  effect  an  apparent  thinning  of  the 
coal  bed .  188 

24.  Sketch  showing  the  cracks  cutting  the  roof  along  the  6th  south¬ 

east  entry  of  the  Leitner  Coal  Company’s  mine .  189 

25.  Sketch  of  the  contact  of  coal  and  “fault”  in  the  6th  west  off  main 

north  entry  of  the  M.  E.  Case  Coal  Company’s  No.  1 
(Walben)  mine  .  196 

26.  Photograph  of  a  shale  bed  a  short  distance  above  No.  7  coal,  ex¬ 

posed  in  the  south  bank  of  Spring  Creek,  N.  E.  %  sec.  25, 

T.16  N,  R.6  W .  206 

27  View  of  the  sandstone  below  No.  8  coal,  exposed  in  the  north  bank 

of  Sangamon  River  at  Carpenter’s  bridge,  N.  W.  M  sec.  1, 

T.  16  N.,  R.  5  W .  207 

28.  Sketch  of  typical  clay  seam  or  “horseback”  seen  in  the  Spring- 

field  Coal  Mining  Company’s  No.  5  mine,  near  Springfield..  211 


(7) 


Page 

29.  Photograph  of  No.  5  coal  in  outcrop  northeast  of  Rushville, 

near  the  center  of  sec.  23,  T.  2  N.,  R.  1  W.;  the  bed  is  cut 
by  a  small  fault  and  a  nearby  “horseback” .  224 

30.  Sketch  of  a  “horseback”  in  No.  5  coal  in  the  Groveland  Coal 

Mining  Company’s  No.  1  mine  at  East  Peoria .  234 

31.  Sketch  of  a  “horseback”  in  No.  5  coal  in  the  Tazewell  Coal  Com¬ 

pany’s  No.  1  mine  at  Pekin .  237 


TABLES 

PAGE 

1.  Interval  between  No.  8  and  No.  7  coals  in  District  IV,  compared 

with  the  range  of  interval  in  District  VII .  43 

2.  Intervals  between  the  Carlinville  limestone  and  No.  6  and  No.  7 

coals .  43 

3.  Analyses  of  mine  samples  from  District  IV .  46 

4.  Average  analytical  and  heat  values  for  No.  1,  No.  2,  No.  5  and  No.  6 

coals,  by  counties,  and  for  the  district .  54 

5.  Average  analyses  of  Illinois  coals  by  districts .  56 

6.  List  of  shipping  mines  in  District  IV,  1920 .  59 

7.  Thicknesses  of  the  several  coal  beds  in  the  Springfield  and  Tailula 

quadrangles  and  the  distance  between  them  in  mine  shafts  and 
borings .  215 


(8) 


GOAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 

By  Gilbert  H.  Cady 


PART  I.— GEOLOGIC  RELATIONS  IN  DISTRICT  IV 

INTRODUCTION 
Importance  of  the  Area 

District  IV  of  the  Illinois  Cooperative  Investigations  (Fig.  1) 
includes  that  part  of  the  central  portion  of  the  State  in  which  the  coal 
production  is  from  the  No.  5  or  Springfield  bed.  Within  the  district 
lie  those  counties  having  a  large  production  from  No.  5  coal,  namely, 
all  of  Peoria  County,  a  large  part  of  Fulton  County,  and  the  part 
of  Sangamon  County  north  of  Chatham ;  and  in  addition  other  counties 
or  parts  of  counties  which  produce  smaller  amounts,  or  are  at  least 
underlain  by  this  coal,  namely,  Cass,  Christian,  Dewitt,  Knox,  Logan, 
McLean,  Macon,  Mason,  Menard,  and  Tazewell.  From  the  entire  dis¬ 
trict  in  the  year  ending  June  30,  1920,  over  11  million  tons  were  pro¬ 
duced  from  the  No.  5  bed.  Among  the  districts  of  the  Cooperative  In¬ 
vestigations  this  one  ranks  third  in  order  of  production.  In  area  it 
ranks  second,  and  in  amount  of  workable  coal  present  possibly  first. 
The  quantity  produced  since  1881  approximates  140  million  tons  from 
No.  5  coal,  a  tonnage  which  represents  only  a  small  per  cent  of  the 
coal  originally  present  in  the  area. 

The  present  report  is  one  of  a  series  on  the  geology  of  the  coal¬ 
bearing  rocks  and  on  the  coal  resources  of  Illinois.  The  coal  field 
has  been  subdivided  into  districts  for  convenience,  study,  and  descrip¬ 
tion,  the  basis  for  the  subdivision  being  stated  in  the  preliminary 
bulletin1  of  the  series.  The  outlines  of  the  various  districts  are  in¬ 
dicated  on  the  accompanying  sketch  map  (Fig.  1). 

Acknowledgments 

As  has  been  the  case  with  earlier  reports  in  the  series,  this  bulle¬ 
tin  represents  compilation  of  material  secured  from  various  sources. 


iPreliminary  Bulletin  Illinois  Coal  Mining  Investigations,  p.  12,  1913. 

9 


10 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Fig.  1. — Map  showing  extent  of  District  IV  and  an  adjacent  area  covered 

in  the  report. 


INTRODUCTION 


11 


Reports  on  the  three  important  coal-mining  areas  in  the  district,  name¬ 
ly  those  in  Fulton,  Peoria,  and  Sangamon  counties,  have  already  been 
published  and  another  is  in  manuscript  form.1 

Acknowledgment  is  herewith  made  of  a  large  use  of  the  material 
presented  in  these  reports,  considerable  parts  of  which  are  directly 
quoted.  Of  special  assistance  have  been  the  field  notes  of  members 
of  the  Investigations,  especially  those  of  Iv.  D.  White  and  F.  FI.  Kay. 
The  miscellaneous  notes  of  J.  A.  Udden,  F.  F.  Grout,  W.  F.  Wheeler, 
Thomas  Moses,  T.  E.  Savage,  and  others  have  also  been  of  great  as¬ 
sistance. 

The  availability  of  drill  and  shaft  records  and  the  information  col¬ 
lected  in  the  mines  is  due  to  the  courtesy  of  the  operators  and  miners 
in  the  district.  Grateful  acknowledgment  is  made  of  the  Survey’s 
indebtedness  to  the  kindness  and  generosity  of  those  in  a  position  to 
give  information  necessary  for  its  work  in  connection  with  the  coal 
mining  industry  in  this  and  other  districts. 


Geography 


TOPOGRAPHY  AND  GLACIAL  DRIFT 

District  IV  is  an  area  of  undulating  plain  which  slopes  toward  the 
valley  of  the  Illinois.  Much  of  the  area  is  monotonously  level,  the 
Illinois  valley  being  the  single  important  interruption  in  the 
continuity  of  the  plain.  This  valley  has  a  depth  of  about  200  to  250 

feet  between  Peoria  and  Chillicothe. 

• 

The  surface  of  central  Illinois  is  essentially  as  left  by  the  last  re¬ 
treating  glacier,  deposits  from  which  filled  up  and  obliterated  all  sur¬ 
face  indications  of  valleys  and  other  irregularities  which  existed  in  the 
rock  surface  prior  to  glacial  time.  Within  certain  lobate  belts  2  to 
10  miles  in  width  which  mark  stationary  positions  of  the  ice  front  for 
long  periods,  thicker  amounts  of  material  accumulated  in  ridges  known 
as  glacial  moraines  that  rise  100  feet  or  more  above  the  adjacent  bor¬ 
dering  plains  and  that  are  rolling  and  irregular  in  profile.  The  “drift,” 
as  the  material  left  by  the  ice  is  called,  is  commonly  thicker  beneath 

iShaw,  E.  W.,  and  Savage,  T.  E.,  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Geol.  Atlas,  Tallula- 
Springfield  folio  (No.  188),  1913. 

Udden,  J.  A.  Geology  and  mineral  resources  of  the  Peoria  quadrangle, 
Illinois:  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Bull.  506,  1912. 

Savage,  T.  E.,  Geology  and  mineral  resources  of  the  Springfield  quad¬ 
rangle:  Illinois  State  Survey  Bull.  20,  p.  97,  1915. 

Savage,  T.  E.,  Geologic  structure  of  the  Canton  and  Avon  quadrangles:  Ill. 
State  Geol.  Survey  Bull.  33,  p.  91,  1916. 


Fig.  2. — Map  showing  position  of  the  glacial  moraines  in  District  IV 


Springfield 


INTRODUCTION 


13 


the  moraine  than  beneath  the  plains,  and  the  height  and  position  of 
the  moraine  seems  not  to  be  controlled  by  the  relief  of  the  bed  rock. 

Students  of  glacial  geology  in  Illinois  have  mapped  two  moraines 
crossing  District  IV  east  of  the  Illinois  (Fig.  2),  the  two  uniting 
north  of  Peoria  and  running  as  a  single  ridge  of  thick  drift  parallel 
to  and  west  of  the  Illinois  valley  through  northeastern  Peoria  Coun¬ 
ty  and  western  Marshall  County,  to  and  beyond  the  boundary  of 
the  district.  East  of  the  Illinois,  one  ridge,  known  as  the  Shelbyville 
moraine,  swings  in  lobate  curves  southward  through  central  Tazewell, 
eastward  through  northeast  Logan,  south  through  eastern  Dewitt  and 
central  Macon  counties  into  Shelby  County.  Clinton,  Decatur,  and 
Shelbyville  are  located  on  or  near  this  moraine,  as  are  also  the  villages 
of  Macon,  Harristown,  Warrensburg,  Hallsville,  Waynesville,  Atlanta, 
and  Delavan.  Throughout  much  of  its  course  the  moraine  rises  or¬ 
dinarily  75  to  100  feet  above  the  plain  and  stands  out  in  bold  relief 
when  viewed  from  the  south  or  outer  border.  “From  the  north  the 
relief  is  less  noticeable,  and  is  more  pronounced  for  a  few  miles  north 
and  south  of  the  Illinois  River  than  elsewhere  in  its  course,  but  even 
there  scarcely  exceeds  75  feet.”1  The  moraine  has  a  breadth  of  sev¬ 
eral  miles,  averaging  six  to  eight,  but  in  places  as  much  as  twelve. 

The  relief  of  the  Shelbyville  moraine  is  a  rough  indication  of 
the  increase  in  thickness  of  the  drift  along  the  ridge  as  compared  with 
its  thickness  on  the  plains  within  and  without  the  moraine.  In  other 
words,  along  these  ridges  a  greater  thickness  of  unconsolidated  sur¬ 
face  material  must  be  penetrated  in  drilling  or  shaft  sinking  than  off 
the  ridges.  The  following  table  shows  the  depth  to  the  rock  at  a  num¬ 
ber  of  places  along  the  Shelbyville  moraine. 

Thickness  of  drift  along  the  Shelbyville  moraine 


Feet 

Findlay  .  168 

Windsor,  Shelby  County,  more  than .  127 

Macon  .  170 

Decatur  .  140 

Maroa  .  273 

Clinton  .  352,  261 

Atlanta,  more  than .  200 

Delavan,  more  than .  300 


The  foregoing  figures  may  well  be  compared  with  the  following, 
which  show  the  drift  to  be  much  thinner  at  certain  places  south  and 
west  of  the  moraine. 

lLeverett,  Frank,  The  Illinois  glacial  lobe:  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  Mono¬ 
graph  38,  p.  194,  1899. 


14 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Thickness  of  drift  south  and  west  of  the  Shelbyville  moraine 

Feet 


Shelbyville  .  27 

Tower  Hill  .  31 

Blue  Mound  .  75 

Niantic  .  82 


The  northern  morainic  belt  extending  from  Peoria  through  Mc¬ 
Lean  County  is  known  as  the  Bloomington  moraine.  Its  relief  on  the 
southern  border  seldom  falls  below  50  feet ;  the  average  relief  is  prob¬ 
ably  75  or  100  feet.  In  Tazewell  County  the  surface  south  of  the 
moraine  varies  in  altitude  from  650  to  725  feet,  whereas  the  crest 
of  the  moraine  has  an  altitude  varying  from  700  to  825  feet  above 
sea  level.  In  McLean  County  the  outer  border  varies  in  altitude  from 
700  to  820  feet  and  the  crest  from  775  to  913  feet  above  sea  level. 

Along  the  Bloomington  moraine  as  along  the  Shelbyville  ridge,  the 
drift  is  much  thicker  than  in  the  bordering  plains.  In  one  shaft  at 
Bloomington  254  feet  of  drift  were  encountered  and  358  feet  in  an¬ 
other.  Some  of  this  difference  is  no  doubt  due  to  irregularity  in  the 
bed-rock  surface.  At  Saybrook  a  drilling  passed  through  247  feet  of 
drift  and  at  Washington  in  Tazewell  County  335  feet. 

East  and  north  of  the  moraine  in  Woodford  County  at  Eureka 
the  drift  is  151  feet  in  thickness.  In  general,  it  is  believed  to  be  thin¬ 
ner  than  along  the  ridge,  by  an  amount  just  about  equivalent  to  the  re¬ 
lief  of  the  moraine.  At  the  position  of  preglacial  depressions  or  valleys, 
the  distribution  and  direction  of  which  are  independent  of  the  posi¬ 
tion  of  the  moraines,  the  drift  is  always  exceptionally  thick,  in  the  plain 
as  well  as  along  the  moraine. 

The  thickness  of  glacial  material  has  an  important  bearing  on 
mining  operations  because  shaft  sinking  is  commonly  more  difficult 
through  unconsolidated  material  of  glacial  origin  than  through  rock. 
Especially  is  this  true  if  the  drift  is  thick  and  made  up  in  part  of 
beds  of  water-bearing  gravel,  as  is  commonly  the  case.  For  in¬ 
stance,  in  a  drilling  near  Washington  in  Tazewell  County,  the  lower 
128  feet  of  the  335  feet  of  drift  present  is  described  as  sand,  quick¬ 
sand,  and  gravel.  The  possibility  that  a  considerable  amount  of  such 
material  may  be  present  makes  it  very  important  to  determine  the  char¬ 
acter  of  the  drift  to  the  rock,  before  locating  a  shaft  near  or  in  one  of 
the  morainic  belts.  A  definite  knowledge  of  the  position  and  trend 
of  the  various  large  preglacial  valleys  would  be  of  much  practical 
value,  as  where  these  exist  the  drift  is  commonly  made  up  of  a 
larger  proportion  of  loose,  water-bearing  material  than  it  is  elsewhere. 
Unfortunately  this  information  is  not  available  except  for  small  areas 
in  the  district  where  detailed  field  examinations  have  been  made. 


INTRODUCTION 


15 


TRANSPORTATION  AND  MARKETS 

Except  as  the  relief  of  the  country  reflects  changes  in  the  char¬ 
acter  and  thickness  of  the  drift  or  other  surface  material,  physio¬ 
graphic  factors  in  Illinois  exercise  little  control  over  the  coal  industry. 
To  a  certain  extent,  however,  the  Illinois  valley  is  a  barrier  separating 
the  coal  lands  in  Schuyler,  Fulton,  Peoria,  and  Knox  counties  from 
those  east  of  the  river.  As  a  result  the  market  for  coals  west  of  the 
river  has  been  more  largely  to  the  west  than  is  the  case  with  coals 
east  of  the  river.  Within  each  part  of  the  district  communication  is 
easy  and  railroads  numerous.  The  western  portion  is,  however,  less 
fortunate  than  the  eastern  because  it  is  served  by  fewer  railroads,  is 
more  dissected  by  streams,  and  is  not  everywhere  so  readily  acces¬ 
sible.  In  general,  however,  the  district  is  in  close  touch  by  railroad 
with  Chicago,  St.  Louis,  and  the  markets  of  the  northwest. 

The  importance  to  the  coal  industry  of  Illinois  River  as  a  means 
of  river  transportation  for  the  district  may  well  be  pointed  out. 
The  coal  mines  of  Peoria  and  Tazewell  counties  are  especially  acces¬ 
sible  to  barge  traffic  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  with  improve¬ 
ment  Sangamon  River  could  be  made  suitable  for  water  transportation 
as  far  upstream  as  Petersburg,  Menard  County,  and  possibly  even  to 
Springfield.  It  is  possible  likewise  that  Spoon  River  could  be  used  in 
the  same  way  for  some  distance  above  its  mouth.  This  is  a  transpor¬ 
tation  resource  of  great  potential  usefulness  which  at  present  is  al¬ 
most  entirely  neglected,  as  only  one  mine  in  the  area,  namely  that  at 
Lancaster  Landing  is  equipped  with  facilities  for  barge  loading. 

TOWNS 

Several  important  cities  and  many  smaller  towns  and  villages  lie 
within  the  area.  Springfield,  Peoria,  Bloomington,  Decatur,  Clinton, 
Canton,  Lincoln,  and  Pekin  are  the  larger  cities  of  the  district.  In 
each  of  these  communities  except  Clinton  the  coal-mining  industry 
has  been  an  agent  contributory  to  its  growth. 

Use  of  Dried  Records 

Exploration  work  with  the  drill  has  been  carried  on  much  less  ex¬ 
tensively  in  this  district  than  in  other  districts  of  the  State  with  the 
exception  of  District  III  to  the  west.  It  is  important,  therefore, 
that  the  Survey  be  furnished  with  the  results  of  all  new  drilling  in 
this  district ;  especially  is  this  true  in  Menard,  Logan,  and  Dewitt 
counties,  where  there  has  been  so  little  drilling  that  the  stratigraphic 
succession  remains  in  considerable  doubt.  Records  of  drilling  should 
be  supplied  so  far  as  possible,  and  the  examination  by  members  of 


16 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


the  Survey  of  churn-drill  cuttings  and  diamond-drill  cores  is  highly 
desirable.  Upon  request  cloth  sacks  in  which  cuttings  can  be  saved, 
will  be  furnished  drillers  or  operators  using  the  churn-drill  in  ex¬ 
ploration  work.  After  40  or  50  of  the  sacks  have  been  filled  they  may 
be  forwarded  to  the  State  Geological  Survey,  Urbana,  by  express 
collect.  It  is  highly  desirable  that  operators  arrange  for  such  study 
as  outlined  in  connection  with  contemplated  drilling  operations.  Drill 
cores  are  the  best  means  of  studying  the  formations  in  a  drift-covered 
area  of  flat-lying  rocks  like  Illinois,  and  through  the  cooperation  of 
operators  it  has  been  possible  for  the  Survey  to  obtain  such  cores  from 
a  number  of  places  in  the  State  for  examination  in  this  office.  One 
core  has  been  furnished  from  this  district,  coming  from  a  well  located 
just  south  of  Springfield,  and  it  is  hoped  that  opportunities  will  arise 
of  obtaining  others  at  various  localities  in  this  district.  Upon  request 
the  Survey  will  furnish  boxes  suitable  for  the  shipment  of  diamond- 
drill  cores. 


ROCK  FORMATIONS  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Coal-bearing  Rocks 

GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 

The  coal-bearing  strata  in  Illinois  belong,  with  unimportant  ex¬ 
ceptions,  to  what  is  known  as  the  Pennsylvanian  system  of  strata,  so 
called  because  the  system  is  very  completely  represented  by  the  coal¬ 
bearing  strata  of  that  State.  This  system  is  also  commonly  called  the 
‘‘Coal  Measures,”  a  name  which  will  be  used  frequently  in  this  report. 
The  Pennsylvanian  strata  are  underlain  by  strata  of  various  ages ;  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  district  by  rocks  of  Mississippian  age,  the 
next  preceding  system  ;  and  in  the  northern  part  of  the  coal  basin  by 
rocks  of  still  older  systems,  specifically  of  Devonian  and  Silurian  age. 
These  relationships  are  shown  in  figure  3.  In  District  IV  the  north¬ 
ern  boundary  of  the  Mississippian  rocks  below  the  “Coal  Measures” 
runs  east  and  west,  north  of  Peoria  and  Bloomington,  and  Devonian 
or  possibly  Niagaran  strata  underlie  the  Pennsylvanian  rocks  north 
of  the  Mississippian  boundary  to  some  distance  north  of  the  boun¬ 
dary  of  the  district.  The  Pennsylvanian  system  is  overlain  by  the 
unconsolidated  clays,  sands,  and  gravels  which  constitute  the  glacial 
drift,  as  explained  in  an  earlier  section  of  the  bulletin,  or  by  river 
deposits.  Without  this  covering  the  coal-bearing  beds  would  form 
the  surface  material  for  the  entire  area  considered  in  this  report. 

The  strata  of  the  Pennsylvanian  or  ‘Coal  Measures”  system  con¬ 
sist  of  shales  and  sandstones,  and  minor  amounts  of  limestone,  clay, 
and  coal.  The  system  thickens  gradually  toward  the  southeast  part 
of  the  State,  where  it  attains  a  thickness  of  about  2,000  feet.  In  this 
district  the  greatest  known  thickness  of  the  “Coal  Measures”  is  along 
its  south  boundary  in  Macon  County,  where  the  base  of  the  Pennsyl¬ 
vanian  lies  at  a  depth  of  about  1,100  feet,  with  drift  of  variable  thick¬ 
ness  up  to  about  200  feet  at  the  surface.  In  the  western  part  of  the 
district  the  Pennsylvanian  or  “Coal  Measures”  strata  have  a  thick¬ 
ness  of  only  about  200  feet  or  less,  the  thinning  being  largely  due  to 
the  gradual  rising  of  the  strata  in  that  direction,  the  upper  beds  being 
planed  off  or  truncated  by  erosion.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  area 
the  base  of  the  Pennsylvanian  rocks  lies  at  a  depth  of  between  300  and 
600  feet,  depending  upon  the  altitude  of  the  surface. 

Shales  comprise  the  greater  part  of  the  strata  and  vary,  on  the 
one  hand,  through  sandy  shales  to  sandstones,  and  on  the  other, 


17 


18 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Fig.  3. — Map  showing  the  areal  geology  of  the  surface  upon  which  the 

Pennsylvanian  strata  were  deposited. 


( Preliminary ) 


ROCK  FORMATIONS 


19 


through  limy  shales  to  limestones.  A  commonly  occurring  grayish, 
fine-grained,  well-laminated  shale,  which  is  very  slippery  when  wet  is 
called  “soapstone”  by  the  miners.  Hard  gray  shale  with  well-devel- 
loped  laminae  goes  under  the  name  of  “slate,”  especially  if  its  color 
is  dark  or  black.  Shale  containing  a  considerable  amount  of  lime¬ 
stone  distributed  irregularly  may  receive  the  name  “lime  shell”  or 
simply  “shell”  from  the  miner  or  driller.  “Niggerheads”  are  concre¬ 
tionary  masses  of  lime  and  iron  pyrites  or  lime  alone,  having  more 
or  less  concentric  structure,  which  are  found  in  some  of  the  “Coal 
Measures”  strata.  Such  concretionary  nodules  or  masses  are  com¬ 
monly  found  in  the  roof  shale  of  the  No.  5  (Springfield)  coal  in  this 
district. 

Sandstones  are  prominent  at  several  horizons  in  the  Pennsyl¬ 
vanian.  The  system  commonly  terminates  at  the  base  in  a  coarse  sand¬ 
stone,  especially  in  the  western  part  of  the  district.  Other  sandstones 
are  rather  widespread  about  the  middle  of  the  system.  These  beds 
are  generally  lenticular  in  cross-section  and  some,  especially  in  the 
vicinity  of  Peoria,  seem  to  be  in  the  nature  of  channel  deposits  of 
rather  local  distribution ;  accordingly,  the  sandstones  cannot  be  identi¬ 
fied  with  much  certainty  from  drill  hole  to  drill  hole,  particularly  when 
the  drilling  is  as  scattered  as  it  is  in  this  district.  The  sandstones  are 
commonly  fine-grained  and  micaceous,  with  numerous  fragments  of 
coaly  material  embedded  in  them,  which  represent  logs,  branches,  or 
pieces  of  wood  which  were  buried  in  the  sand. 

The  limestones,  although  constituting  but  a  small  part  of  the 
“Coal  Measures,”  are  nevertheless  stratigraphically  important,  as  they 
furnish  a  means  of  identifying  strata  with  which  they  are  associated. 
Several  horizons  have  been  identified  and  traced  over  a  large  part  of 
this  and  adjoining  areas.  One  of  these  is  the  cap  rock  of  No.  6  coal 
which  is  commonly  found  less  than  30  feet  above  the  coal.  In  a  few 
places  this  limestone  is  reported  to  rest  directly  upon  the  coal,  but 
most  commonly  it  is  separated  from  the  coal  by  a  few  feet  of  shale.  A 
limestone  known  as  the  Lonsdale  in  the  Peoria  district  and  as  the 
Rock  Creek  in  the  Springfield  district  seems  to  be  widespread  in 
District  IV.  This  limestone  is  found  about  100  feet  above  No.  6  coal 
in  Peoria  County  and  about  75  feet  above  the  coal  in  the  Springfield 
area.  It  has  been  traced  west  into  Fulton  County,  north  into  Bureau 
County,  and  northeast  into  Livingston  and  LaSalle  counties.  In  the 
southern  part  of  the  district  two  limestones  are  found  in  the  interval 
lying  between  200  and  300  feet  above  No.  6  coal.  The  lower  is  known 
as  the  Carlinville  and  the  upper  as  the  Shoal  Creek  limestone.  Where 
only  one  of  these  limestones  is  recorded  by  the  driller  it  is  not  always 


20 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


possible  to  determine  which  one  is  present.  In  the  Springfield  region  a 
limestone  known  as  the  Crows  Mill  limestone,  found  about  230  feet 
above  No.  6  coal,  may  correspond  either  to  the  Carlinville  or  to  the 
Shoal  Creek  limestone.  The  New  Haven  limestone,  which  lies  about 
500  feet  above  No.  6  coal,  and  is  of  rather  wide  distribution  in  the 
southern  half  of  the  coal  basin,  is  not  known  to  underlie  any  of  this 
district  except  possibly  southern  Macon  and  northern  Christian  coun¬ 
ties. 

Fire  clays  are  normally  associated  with  coal  beds.  Fire  clays 
at  or  near  the  top  of  the  Pottsville  formation  have  some  economic 
importance  in  the  western  counties  of  this  district,  chiefly  in  Schuyler 
and  Fulton  counties,  but  these  clays  are  of  still  greater  importance  west 
of  the  district. 

DIVISIONS  OF  PENNSYLVANIAN  SYSTEM 

For  convenience  of  study,  the  coal  bearing  beds  of  Illinois  have 
been  separated  into  the  following  divisions,  each  of  which  is  called  a 
formation.  The  formations  are  numbered  in  the  order  of  age  and 
deposition : 

3.  McLeansboro 
2.  Carbondale 
1.  Pottsville 

POTTSVILLE  FORMATION 
GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 

The  Pottsville  formation,  the  oldest  division  of  the  “Coal  Meas¬ 
ures”  rocks,  consists  of  a  succession  of  sandstones,  shales,  and  thin 
coals,  all  of  which  lie  below  No.  2  coal.  The  beds  were  deposited  upon 
an  old  land  surface  and  consequently  are  variable  in  thickness  and 
character.  Furthermore,  these  deposits  were  apparently  made  in  a 
rising  sea,  in  a  relatively  shallow  basin,  so  that  the  upper  beds  of 
the  formation  are  more  widespread  than  the  lower,  and  the  forma¬ 
tion  becomes  thinner  toward  the  border  of  the  coal  field. 

Information  concerning  the  Pottsville  in  this  district  is  based 
upon  exposures  in  Schuyler  and  Fulton  counties  and  a  few  drillings  in 
Fulton,  Peoria,  Sangamon,  Logan,  Macon,  and  McLean  counties.  The 
log  of  one  of  these  drill  holes,  located  half  a  mile  southwest  of  Spring- 
field  in  the  S.E.  %  sec.  5,  T.  15  N.,  R.  5  W.,  supplies  the  most  re¬ 
liable  section  of  the  Pottsville  formation  in  the  Survey  files.  The 
drillers’  record  of  this  hole,  together  with  the  core,  was  turned  over 


'  .  ~  'f  rr  r  -  i- 

*'  /}■'-  '  l-i  ■■ 


PENN8YL  VAN1AN 


Illinois  State  Geological  Survey 


Mining  Investigations  Bull.  26,  Pirate  If 


1.  Drilling  between  Fiatt  and  Cuba,  Ful¬ 

ton  County. 

2.  Shaft  of  Blue  Fly  (old  Wantling)  mine 

at  Pottstown,  Peoria  County. 

3.  Drilling  in  the  SE.  %  sec.  5,  T.  15  N., 

R.  5  W.,  Sangamon  County. 

4.  Drilling  near  Blue  Mound,  Macon 

County,  Illinois. 

5.  Shaft  of  Assumption  mine  in  the  NW. 

%  SE.  14  sec.  2,  T.  12  N.,  R.  1  E., 
Christian  County. 


Plate  II. — Sections  showing  the  stratigraphic  relations  of  the  coal-bearing 

rocks  in  District  IV. 


VERTICAL  SCALE  IH  FEET 


ROCK  FORMATIONS 


21 


to  the  Survey.  The  log,  verified  and  revised  from  the  core  by  T.  E. 
Savage,  is  given  below  and  is  shown  graphically  on  Plate  II : 


Log  of  boring  half  a  mile  southwest  of  Springfield,  in  the  S.  E.  14  sec.  5, 

T.  15  N.,  R  5  W.1 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Quaternary  system 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Ft. 

In. 

Ft. 

In. 

Clay  and  gravel . . . . 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

McLeansboro  formation — 

34 

34 

Coal  (No.  8) . . 

1 

6 

35 

6 

Clay  shale . . . 

4 

_ 

39 

6 

Shale,  fine,  gray,  micaceous  sandy.... 

5 

_ 

44 

6 

Sandstone,  fine  grained,  grav . 

5 

6 

50 

.... 

Shale,  sandy,  micaceous . 

Shale,  fine,  sandy,  micaceous,  with 

15 

.... 

65 

.... 

many  dark  carbonaceous  spots.. 

45 

____ 

110 

.... 

Shale,  dark . . . 

3 

110 

3 

Shale,  bluish,  micaceous . . 

17 

4 

127 

7 

Shale,  dark  bluish,  fossiliferous . . 

2 

_  _  _  _ 

129 

7 

Shale,  dark  blue . . . 

3 

3 

132 

10 

Shale,  black,  coaly  (No.  7  coal) . 

2 

133 

.... 

Clay  shale,  light  gray . . 

Shale,  gray,  with  red  bands  and 

10 

5 

143 

5 

blotches . . . . 

6 

5 

149 

10 

Limestone,  gray  argillaceous . 

1 

4 

151 

2 

Shale,  gray . 

4 

10 

156 

.... 

Shale,  dark . . . . . 

5 

.... 

161 

.... 

Shale,  yellowish,  calcareous . 

Limestone  with  Fusulina,  Reticu- 
laria,  Seminula ,  and  Productus 

4 

11 

165 

11 

semireticulatus . 

6 

9 

172 

8 

Shale,  blue  to  grav . 

Carbondale  formation — 

n 

a 

.... 

175 

8 

Coal,  Herrin  (No.  6) . 

.... 

6 

176 

2 

Shale,  bluish  gray . 

4 

.... 

180 

2 

Shale,  light  grav . 

1 

10 

182 

.... 

Shale,  gray,  calcareous . 

3 

3 

185 

3 

Shale,  gray . 

24 

.... 

209 

3 

Limestone,  gray,  shalv . 

/ 

.... 

10 

210 

1 

lU.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Folio  1S8,  p.  2,  1913. 


22 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Log  of  boring  half  a  mile  sotithwest  of  Springfield — Continued 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Shale,  black,  fissile,  with  Orbicu- 

loidea  and  other  fossils . 

4 

6 

214 

7 

Shale,  black,  shelly,  pyritiferous . 

.... 

6 

215 

1 

Coal,  Springfield  (No.  5) . 

6 

4 

221 

5 

Shale,  gray  (fire  clay) . . . 

6 

8 

228 

1 

Shale,  bluish . _• . . . 

6 

_ 

234 

1 

Shale,  black 

3 

4 

237 

5 

Shale,  gray. 

3 

8 

240 

1 

Shale,  grayish  blue  to  yellow . 

35 

2 

275 

3 

Coal  (No.  4) . 

2 

8 

277 

11 

Shale,  gray, 

impure  (fire  clay).... . 

1 

---- 

278 

11 

Shale,  black,  carbonaceous . 

_ 

8 

279 

7 

Shale.  dark_ 

20 

5 

300 

Shale,  blue . 

31 

331 

Shale,  black . . . 

2 

333 

.... 

Coal  (No.  3) . . . 

1 

6 

334 

6 

Shale,  clay.. 

_  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

12 

6 

347 

.... 

Shale,  bluish  gray . . . . . 

15 

362 

.... 

Shale,  black . 

1 

4 

363 

4 

Coal . 

_ 

3 

363 

7 

Shale,  blue. 

2 

5 

366 

.... 

Shale,  sandy,  micaceous . 

5 

6 

371 

6 

Shale,  bluish . 

5 

____ 

376 

6 

Shale,  gray. 

2 

— 

378 

6 

Sandstone,  shalv,  micaceous . 

11 

6 

390 

---- 

Shale,  bluish _  _ 

1 

391 

Sandstone, 

coarse  grained,  micaceous 

9 

.... 

400 

.... 

Shale,  dark, 

micaceous... . 

7 

_ 

407 

.... 

Clay  shale... 

1 

— 

408 

.... 

Shale,  brown,  with  hard  bands . 

5 

_ 

413 

.... 

Coal 

[ 

1 

3 

414 

3 

Dark  shale 

^oal  (Murphysboro  i 

3 

11 

418 

2 

Coal 

or  No.  2) 

10 

419 

.... 

Pottsville  formation — 

• 

Shale,  blue. 

8 

____ 

427 

.... 

Shale,  dark 

10 

437 

Clay  shale.. 

2 

____ 

439 

.... 

Shale,  dark 

gray- . - . - 

12 

2 

451 

2 

Coal . 

1 

4 

452 

6 

Shale,  dark 

gray- . 

6 

6 

459 

.... 

Shale,  black . . 

4 

.... 

463 

— — 

Shale,  gray. 

6 

— 

469 

.... 

Shale,  black . 

5 

6 

474 

6 

Shale,  light  gray . 

1 

6 

476 

.... 

Shale,  dark,  slickensided . 

.... 

6 

476 

6 

ROCK  FORMATIONS 


23 


Log  of  boring  half  a  mile  southwest  of  Springfield — Continued 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Shale,  light . . . 

3 

6 

480 

.... 

Shale,  dark . 

49 

.... 

529 

.... 

Shale,  sandy . . . 

IS 

4 

544 

4 

Shale,  light  blue . . . 

1 

____ 

545 

4 

Shale,  dark  blue. . 

1 

.... 

546 

4 

Shale,  light,  clayey . . 

7 

.... 

553 

4 

Shale,  black . . 

1 

554 

4 

Coal  (No.  1?) . . . . 

____ 

10 

555 

2 

Shale,  black . . 

Sandstone,  coarse,  carbonaceous,  in 

24 

10 

580 

.... 

places  micaceous . 

13 

_ 

593 

.... 

Sandstone . . . 

1 

_  _  _  _ 

594 

.... 

Shale,  dark . . . . 

27 

_ _ 

621 

.... 

Shale,  light . . . . 

4 

625 

.... 

Shale,  black . 

Shale,  conglomeratic,  carbonaceous, 

2 

4 

627 

4 

and  gray  sandstone . 

23 

2 

650 

6 

Shale,  dark . . 

Shale,  conglomeratic,  dark,  and  sand- 

6 

.... 

656 

6 

stone  interlaminated . 

4 

10 

661 

4 

Sandstone,  coarse,  brown  to  gray . 

Mississippian  system — 

St.  Louis  and  Spergen  limestones — 

36 

2 

697 

6 

Limestone . 

12 

6 

710 

.... 

Shale,  hard,  light  colored _ _ 

Limestone,  light  gray,  argillaceous, 

2 

.... 

712 

.... 

somewhat  conglomeratic... . . 

11 

.... 

723 

.... 

Limestone,  argillaceous . . 

11 

.... 

734 

.... 

Limestone,  impure,  argillaceous . 

Shale,  gray,  in  places  calcareous  and 

26 

760 

.... 

somewhat  conglomeratic . 

15 

.... 

775 

.... 

Limestone,  gray . 

Shale,  bluish,  variable  and  somewhat 

7 

.... 

782 

.... 

calcareous . 

Limestone,  impure,  gray,  in  places 

10 

.... 

792 

.... 

with  argillaceous  bands . 

16 

---- 

808 

.... 

Limestone,  gray . 

20 

.... 

828 

.... 

Limestone,  arenaceous . 

14 

.... 

842 

.... 

Limestone,  dark,  sandy . 

8 

.... 

850 

.... 

Shale,  impure . 

2 

.... 

852 

.... 

Shale,  calcareous . 

Limestone,  impure,  shaly,  and  in 

9 

.... 

861 

.... 

places  sandy . 

35 

.... 

896 

.... 

Limestone,  white . 

5 

.... 

901 

.... 

Limestone,  sandy  or  shaly . 

12 

.... 

913 

.... 

24 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Log  of  boring  half  a  mile  southwest  of  Springfield — Concluded 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Warsaw  and  Keokuk  formations — 

Ft. 

In. 

Ft. 

In. 

Shale,  calcareous . 

14 

.... 

927 

.... 

Shale,  blue . . . . 

5 

6 

932 

6 

Shale,  sandy . 

3 

4 

935 

10 

Shale,  blue . 

2 

2 

938 

.... 

Shale,  dark . . 

4 

---- 

942 

.... 

Limestone . . . 

1 

.... 

943 

.... 

Shale,  gray . 

12 

955 

— 

Shale,  blue . . 

6 

---- 

961 

_ 

Shale,  sandy . . . 

3 

964 

Sandstone . 

1 

965 

Shale,  sandy.. . . . . 

2 

3 

967 

3 

Sandstone . . . . . 

3 

9 

971 

_ 

Shale,  sandy . 

14 

6 

985 

6 

Shale,  bluish  gray . 

19 

6 

1005 

Shale,  hard,  gray . 

15 

1020 

____ 

Shale,  hard,  bluish  gray . 

33 

4 

1053 

4 

Limestone,  oolitic . 

3 

8 

1057 

.... 

Shale,  blue . . . 

6 

____ 

1063 

.... 

Shale,  blue,  with  limestone  bands . 

Burlington  limestone — 

14 

.... 

1077 

.... 

Limestone,  hard,  with  chert  bands.... 

4 

_ 

1081 

.... 

Limestone,  hard,  grav . . . 

20 

1101 

.... 

Limestone . . . 

9 

.... 

1110 

.... 

Limestone,  broken,  cherty . . 

15 

.... 

1125 

— 

Limestone,  cherty . . 

7 

_ _ 

1132 

— 

Chert . . . . . 

Limestone,  cherty,  with  Spirifer 

10 

6 

1142 

6 

grimesi  and  other  fossils . . 

16 

.... 

1158 

6 

Chert,  with  some  limestone _ _ _ 

9 

_ 

1167 

6 

Limestone,  with  some  chert . 

Kinderhook  group — 

Limestone,  reddish,  shaly,  in  places 

16 

" 

1183 

6 

cherty . 

43 

6 

1227 

.... 

Limestone,  gray,  with  chert  bands.... 

14 

— 

1241 

— 

Shale,  greenish . . 

11 

.... 

1252 

.... 

Shale,  hard,  greenish  gray . . 

Shale,  bluish  gray,  upper  part  with 

34 

.... 

1286 

—  - 

zones  of  fine-grained  oolite . 

Devonian  system — 

Shale,  black  or  very  dark,  with 
Sporangites,  Lingula,  etc.,  com- 

53 

1339 

mon . 

133 

.... 

1472 

.... 

Limestone,  gray . 

28 

.... 

1500 

.... 

ROCK  FORMATIONS 


25 


STRATA  COMPRISING  THE  POTTSVILLE  FORMATION 

The  rock  at  the  base  of  the  Pottsville  formation  is  commonly  a 
coarse-grained  sandstone.  Such  a  sandstone  is  present  in  the  well 
near  Springfield,  as  shown  in  the  log  reproduced  above  with  a  thick¬ 
ness  of  about  36  feet,  with  conglomerate  shale  beds  above  for  a  dis¬ 
tance  of  25  or  30  feet.  Thirty  feet  of  sandstone  lie  near  the  base 
of  the  Pennsylvanian  in  a  well  near  Macon  at  a  depth  of  about  1,020 
feet.  In  the  Peoria  region  the  base  of  the  Pennsylvanian  seems  to 
be  argillaceous  material  reported  as  either  soapstone  or  shale,  a  sand¬ 
stone  10  feet  in  thickness  being  reported  in  one  out  of  seven  water 
wells.1  Farther  west  in  Fulton  County  where  the  Pottsville  is  relative¬ 
ly  thin  the  basal  member  is  commonly  sandstone  or  sandy  shale.  To¬ 
ward  the  northern  part  of  the  district  and  farther  north  in  District  I 
sandstone  is  not  a  conspicuous  constituent  of  the  Pottsville.  It  seems 
probable,  therefore,  that  the  basal  sandstone  member  is  limited  in  dis¬ 
tribution  to  the  western  border  of  the  district  and  to  the  central  and 
southern  portions  with  possibly  a  greater  thickness  to  the  south¬ 
east  than  elsewhere. 

Other  sandstones  are  not  uncommon  in  the  Pottsville  formation 
east  of  the  Illinois  and  probably,  as  in  District  YII,  they  are  variable 
in  character  and  distribution.  Drillings  are  too  few,  however,  to  test 
this  probability  or  to  justify  reliable  generalizations  concerning  the 
details  of  the  rock  succession  over  much  of  the  area.  A  sandstone  or 
sandy  shale  is  noted  in  several  wells  in  the  upper  90  feet  of  the  forma¬ 
tion  above  the  horizon  of  No.  1  coal  as  noted  below. 

A  few  coals  lie  within  the  Pottsville.  Locally  one  bed,  known  as 
No.  1  (Rock  Island,  or  Seville)  coal,  is  of  workable  thickness.  This 
is  one  of  the  two  important  coals  of  District  III  to  the  west  and  is  of 
workable  thickness  beneath  at  least  part  of  Fulton  County  in  this  dis¬ 
trict.  The  coal  is  mined  at  Seville  and  Ellisville  along  Spoon  River, 
where  it  occurs  about  midway  in  the  Pottsville  section,  35  to  55  feet 
below  No.  2  coal.  At  Seville  it  is  3  to  Al/2  feet  thick  and  at  Ellisville 
3  to  Sl/2  feet.  The  character  and  distribution  of  No.  1  coal  in  Fulton 
and  Peoria  counties  will  receive  attention  in  greater  detail  in  later 
sections  of  the  report,  and  in  the  bulletin  describing  the  coal  resources 
of  District  III. 

In  the  Peoria  region  what  is  possibly  No.  1  coal  lies  130  feet 

lUdden,  J.  A.,  Geology  and  mineral  resources  of  the  Peoria  quadrangle: 
U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Bull.  506,  p.  13,  1912. 


26 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


below  Xo.  2  coal.1  This  coal  was  at  one  time  mined  in  a  shaft  at 
Pottstown.  Doctor  Udden  states  in  regard  to  it : 

“It  is  in  two  benches,  the  lower  one  varying  from  2  feet  2  inches  to  3 
feet  in  the  Pottstown  mine,  and  the  upper  measuring  about  1  foot  3  inches. 
The  two  benches  are  separated  by  nearly  3  feet  of  shale.  The  average 
thickness  of  the  coal  and  the  included  shale  is  6  feet.”  2 

At  Peoria  a  thin,  probably  lenticular,  coal  lies  at  a  still  greater 
depth,  about  80  to  104  feet,  below  No.  1  coal,  or  20  feet  above  the 
base  of  the  Pottsville  formation  at  one  locality.  The  Pottstown  shafts 
and  two  water  wells  penetrated  a  thin  coal  about  40  feet  above  the 
horizon  of  NT.  1  coal.  Between  this  coal  and  No.  2  all  exploration  in 
the  Peoria  region  shows  considerable  sandstone  or  sandy  shale  meas¬ 
uring  from  70  to  80  feet  in  thickness. 

In  the  Springfield  region  a  10-inch  coal  bed  which  lies  about  142 
feet  above  the  base  of  the  Pennsylvanian  system  and  140  feet  below 
No.  2  coal,  probably  corresponds  to  the  coal  designated  as  No.  1  in  the 
Peoria  region.  One  boring,  at  least,  indicates  the  presence  of  sand¬ 
stone  between  No.  1  and  No.  2  coals  as  in  the  Peoria  region.  A  coal 
12  to  16  inches  thick  is  found  in  places  in  the  Springfield  region  35  to 
40  feet  below  No.  2  coal. 

Farther  west  a  record  of  a  diamond-drill  boring  at  Blue  Mound 
in  Macon  County  reports  several  coals  in  the  upper  130  feet  of  the 
Pottsville  formation.  The  record  of  the  boring  at  Blue  Mound  is 
reproduced  herewith  and  is  shown  graphically  on  Plate  II. 

Record  of  a  diamond-drill  boring  near  Blue  Mound,  Macon  County 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

- 

Ft. 

In. 

Ft. 

In. 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Clay  and  sand . . . 

18 

---- 

18 

Sand . 

5 

23 

Clay  and  coarse  gravel . 

3 

26 

Clay  and  gravel  cemented  . 

5 

31 

Clay,  blue . 

22 

53 

Clay  and  gravel,  cemented . 

3 

56 

Clay  and  sand . 

14 

.... 

70 

.... 

Clay  and  gravel,  cemented  . . . 

3 

73 

Boulders  and  gravel . 

2 

.... 

75 

.... 

9 


lOp.  cit.,  p.  24. 
2Qp.  cit.,  p.  25. 


ROCK  FORMATIONS 


27 


Record  of  a  diamond-drill  boring  near  Blue  Mound — Continued 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

McLeansboro — 

Clay  and  shale,  soft . 

23 

98 

.... 

Clay,  soft . . . . . 

1 

_ 

99 

.... 

Shale,  black . . . 

1 

100 

.... 

Coal,  bone. . . . 

.... 

6 

100 

6 

Clay  and  shale,  soft . 

10 

6 

111 

.... 

Sand  shale . . . 

3 

_ _ 

114 

.... 

Limestone . . . . . 

5 

.... 

119 

.... 

Sandstone . . . 

6 

.... 

125 

.... 

Clay  shale . . . 

9 

---- 

134 

.... 

Clay  shale . 

20 

____ 

154 

.... 

Clay  shale. . 

9 

_ 

163 

.... 

Clav  shale  with  hard  bands . 

22 

_ 

185 

.... 

Clay  shale . 

6 

_ 

191 

.... 

Limestone  (Carlinville?) . 

9 

200 

.... 

Clay  shale,  blue . 

1 

_  _  _  _ 

201 

.... 

Shale,  black . 

4 

.... 

205 

.... 

Shale,  dark  blue... . 

7 

10 

212 

10 

Bone . . . 

2 

213 

.... 

Fire  clay . 

5 

---- 

218 

.... 

Limestone,  bastard . 

7 

_  _  __ 

225 

.... 

Clay  shale,  blue . 

7 

---- 

232 

.... 

Limestone . 

1 

.... 

233 

.... 

Clay  shale,  light..... . 

6 

239 

.... 

Sand  and  limestone  mixed  with  shale 

5 

.... 

244 

Shale,  sandv . 

11 

____ 

255 

.... 

Shale,  sandv . 

5 

260 

.... 

Sand  shale . 

8 

.... 

268 

.... 

Sand  shale . 

7 

.... 

275 

.... 

Clay  shale . 

16 

291 

.... 

Clay  shale . 

10 

.... 

301 

.... 

Shale,  black . 

1 

.... 

302 

.... 

Coal . 

6 

302 

6 

Fire  clay . 

1 

6 

304 

.... 

Shale,  clay . 

9 

.... 

313 

.... 

Clay  shale  with  hard  bands . 

17 

.... 

330 

.... 

Clay  shale  with  hard  bands . 

22 

.... 

350 

.... 

Clay  shale,  black . 

15 

.... 

365 

.... 

Clay  shale,  soft,  will  cave . 

12 

.... 

377 

.... 

“Soapstone,”  soft,  red . 

5 

382 

“Soapstone,”  soft,  red . 

3 

385 

Limestone . 

4 

389 

Clay  shale . 

6 

395 

Clay  shale . 

14 

.... 

409 

.... 

28 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Record  of  a  diamond-drill  boring  near  Blue  Mound — Continued 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Clay  shale _ _ 

6 

.... 

415 

.... 

Clav  shale . 

4 

419 

.... 

Clay  shale. . . 

9 

__  __ 

428 

.... 

Shale,  dark  blue. 

4 

8 

432 

8 

Coal.. . . 

2 

6 

.  435 

2 

Fire  Clay . 

1 

6 

436 

8 

Coal... . . . 

8 

437 

4 

Clay  shale... . 

13 

8 

451 

.... 

Limestone . 

4 

6 

455 

6 

Clay  shale . 

4 

3 

459 

3 

Carbondale — 

Coal  (No.  6) . 

3 

6 

463 

3 

Shale . 

1 

3 

464 

6 

Limestone . 

4 

6 

469 

.... 

Clay  shale . 

10 

.... 

479 

.... 

Clay  shale . 

7 

486 

.... 

Shale,  black . 

3 

389 

.... 

Coal,  clean  parting  (No.  5) . 

5 

3 

494 

3 

Fire  clay . 

1 

6 

495 

9 

Clay  shale . 

8 

3 

504 

.... 

Clay  shale.. . 

14 

— — 

518 

.... 

Clay  shale.. . 

12 

.... 

530 

.... 

Shale,  black . 

3 

533 

— — 

Coal . 

1 

8 

534 

8 

Shale,  soft  crum 

jly . . . 

3 

4 

538 

.... 

Clay  shale . 

5 

.... 

543 

.... 

Clay  shale  with  hard  bands . 

21 

.... 

564 

.... 

Clay  shale  with  hard  bands . . . 

18 

.... 

582 

.... 

Coal . 

3 

6 

585 

6 

Sand,  clay,  shale,  mixed . 

12 

6 

598 

.... 

Sand,  clay,  shale,  mixed . 

2 

.... 

600 

.... 

Shale,  black  sandy . 

2 

.... 

602 

.... 

Coal . 

1 

5 

603 

5 

Clav  and  sandy  shale  mixed. . 

5 

7 

608 

.... 

Clay  and  sandy  shale  mixed.. . . 

18 

.... 

626 

.... 

Clay  shale. . 

13 

4 

639 

4 

Coal 

' 

1 

2 

640 

6 

Shale,  mucky 

1 

6 

642 

.... 

Shale,  mucky 

1 

.... 

643 

.... 

Sandstone,  hard 

9 

.... 

652 

.... 

Shale,  black 

•(No.  2  coal)  . \ 

1 

.... 

653 

.— 

Coal 

3 

653 

3 

Shale,  black 

2 

7 

655 

10 

Coal  mixed  with 

sulphur 

2 

5 

658 

3 

ROCK  FORMATIONS 


21) 


Record  of  a  diamond-drill  boring  near  Bine  Mound — Concluded 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

In. 

Ft. 

In. 

Pottsville — 

Fire  clay . . . 

1 

6 

659 

9 

Clay  shale . . . . 

4 

3 

664 

.... 

Sandstone . 

4 

_ 

668 

Sandstone  and  sand  shale  mixed. 

Flowing  salt  water  at  670  feet... 

15 

.... 

683 

.... 

Clay  shale  with  hard  bands..... . 

7 

6 

690 

6 

Shale,  black . . . . . 

2 

3 

692 

9 

Coal . . . . . 

6 

693 

3 

Clay  shale . . . 

1 

9 

695 

.... 

Clay  shale . 

12 

_ 

707 

Clay  shale . . . . . 

'  3 

_  _  _  _ 

710 

Sandstone . . . 

6 

.... 

716 

.... 

Shale,  black . . . 

3 

719 

.... 

Coal . . . 

8 

719 

8 

Clay  shale . . . . . 

2 

4 

732 

.... 

Clay  shale . . . . . 

14 

.... 

736 

.... 

Shale,  dark . . . . . . . 

2 

.... 

738 

.... 

Clay  shale . . . . . . . 

2 

740 

.... 

Coal . . . 

.... 

2 

740 

2 

Clay  shale . 

1 

10 

742 

.... 

Coal . 

.... 

6 

742 

6 

Clay  shale . . . 

3 

6 

746 

.... 

Shale,  dark . 

3 

.... 

749 

.... 

Coal  and  sulphur _ _ _ _  .  .. 

_  _  _  _ 

8 

749 

8 

Sandstone  and  sand  shale..... . . 

10 

4 

760 

.... 

Clay  shale,  dark . . . 

2 

.... 

762 

.... 

Clay  shale,  dark . . . . . 

3 

.... 

765 

.... 

Shale,  black . 

7 

.... 

772 

.... 

Coal 

( 

.... 

8 

772 

8 

Clay  shale  | 

3 

4 

776 

.... 

Sandstone  f(No.  1  coal?) . 1 

3 

779 

.... 

Sand  shale  | 

10 

.... 

789 

.... 

Coal  J 

3 

.... 

792 

.... 

Clay  shale . 

1 

.... 

793 

.... 

Sandstone . 

14 

.... 

807 

.... 

Sandstone . 

11 

.... 

818 

.... 

Sand  shale  and  clay  shale  mixed . 

6 

.... 

823 

.... 

Clay  shale . 

12 

.... 

835 

.... 

Sandstone . 

5 

.... 

840 

.... 

Sandstone,  hard . 

10 

.... 

850 

.... 

30 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


On  the  basis  of  the  correlation  made  in  Plate  II,  a  rough  simi¬ 
larity  is  apparent  in  the  sections  at  Blue  Mound  and  Assumption, 
with  an  interval  between  coals  No.  5  and  No.  2  in  one  locality  of  145 
feet  and  in  the  other  155,  and  an  interval  betwen  No.  1  and  No.  2 
of  115  feet  at  Blue  Mound  and  131  feet  7  inches  at  Assumption. 
These  latter  figures  are  not  greatly  different  from  those  given  for 
the  interval  between  No.  1  and  No.  2  coals  in  the  Springfield  and 
Peoria  region. 

In  Sangamon,  Macon,  and  Christian  counties  No.  2  coal  seems 
to  be  everywhere  in  two  benches. 

A  thin  coal  about  30  to  40  feet  below  No.  2  is  apparently  wide¬ 
spread  as  far  northward  as  District  I  in  Marshall  and  Bureau  counties, 
and  is  possibly  present  at  La  Salle. 

Limestone  in  the  Pottsville  is  rather  uncommon  except  in  the 
western  part  of  the  district  between  No.  1  and  No.  2  coals.  In  Dis¬ 
trict  III  from  Greene  County  to  Rock  Island  County  a  limestone  is 
nearly  everywhere  found  between  the  two  coals,  commonly  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  upper  coal,  so  that  the  underclay  of  this  coal  rests 
upon  the  limestone.  This  relationship,  however,  is  more  common  to 
the  south  than  to  the  north  as  the  interval  increases  northward.  In 
Fulton  County,  No.  1  coal  is  commonly  overlain  by  a  dark,  shaly, 
somewhat  impure  limestone  that  varies  in  thickness  from  5  to  20 
feet,  which  may  be  separated  from  the  coal  by  ^2  to  3  feet  of  dark 
shale.  Between  the  limestone  and  No.  2  coal  is  an  interval  of  about 
35  to  40  feet. 

Except  in  the  southeastern  portion  of  the  district  the  Pottsville 
sediments  rest  on  a  thick  limestone  of  Mississippian  age  and  the 
base  can  be  definitely  placed.  In  Macon  and  adjacent  counties  the 
Pennsylvanian  system  seems  to  be  underlain  by  rocks  belonging  to  the 
Chester  group  of  the  Mississippian  system.  These  strata  resemble  the 
rocks  of  the  Pottsville  formation  in  being  largely  sandstone  and 
sandy  shales,  so  that  it  is  not  always  possible  to  determine  the  posi¬ 
tion  of  contact  of  the  two  systems.  The  Chester,  however,  contains 
some  limestone  members,  and  as  limestones  are  generally  lacking  in 
the  Pottsville,  it  is  the  custom  in  the  interpretation  of  drilling  rec¬ 
ords  from  the  central  and  southern  part  of  the  State  arbitrarily  to 
place  the  base  of  the  Pottsville  at  the  top  of  the  first  limestone  after 
the  drill  has  passed  through  all  the  main  coal  beds  and  has  been 
working  for  some  distance  in  a  series  composed  mostly  of  sandstone. 
The  top  of  the  formation  is  difficult  to  identify  where  No.  2  coal  is 
absent  or  not  reported ;  in  the  Springfield  region  it  averages  about 
240  feet  below  No.  6  coal;  in  the  Peoria  region  in  one  shaft  it  is  140 


ROCK  FORMATIONS 


31 


feet  below  No.  6;  in  Macon  County  it  is  about  200  feet  below  No.  6. 
In  general  there  is  a  decrease  in  interval  northward  through  the  State 
with  the  greatest  difference  taking  place  near  the  boundary  between 
Districts  VII  and  IV. 

David  White1  has  studied  the  fossil  plants  found  in  the  forma¬ 
tions  and  regards  the  Illinois  beds  as  corresponding  in  age  to  beds 
of  the  same  name  in  Pennsylvania. 

CARBONDALE  FORMATION 
GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 

The  Carbondale  formation  which  is  typically  exposed  near  Car¬ 
bondale,  Jackson  County,  includes  all  the  beds  from  the  base  of  No. 
2  coal  to  the  top  of  No.  6  coal.  Shale  predominates  in  this  formation, 
and  only  lenticular  sandstones  and  minor  amounts  of  limestone  and 
coal  are  present.  The  Carbondale  includes  all  of  the  productive  coal 
beds  in  Illinois,  except  the  Rock  Island  or  Seville  (No.  1),  the  Dan¬ 
ville  or  Streator  (No.  7)  coals,  three  beds  below  No.  2  mined 
locally  in  Gallatin  County,  and  two  or  three  beds,  high  in  the  Penn¬ 
sylvanian  system,  mined  locally  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  State. 
Its  total  thickness  varies  from  about  240  feet  at  Springfield  and  in 
the  southeastern  part  of  the  district,  to  about  150  to  175  feet  in  the 
northern  and  northwestern  parts. 

The  coal  beds  of  commercial  thickness  in  the  region  are  No.  2, 
No.  5,  and  No.  6.  The  significance  of  these  numbers  has  been  ade¬ 
quately  explained  in  preceding  bulletins  of  this  series,  as  has  also  the 
system  of  geographic  names  used  by  the  State  and  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Surveys  for  the  same  coals.  By  this  system  No.  2  coal  is  called  the  Mur- 
physboro,  La  Salle,  or  Colchester  coal ;  No.  5  coal  is  called  the  Spring- 
field  or  Harrisburg  coal ;  and  No.  6  the  Herrin,  Belleville,  or  Grape 
Creek  coal.  Similarly,  No.  1  of  the  Pottsville  formation  has  been  de¬ 
signated  the  Rock  Island  or  Seville  coal,  and  No.  7  of  the  McLeans- 
boro  formation,  the  Danville  or  Streator  coal.  It  has  been  regarded 
as  advantageous  by  the  State  Geological  Survey  to  continue  the  use  of 
numbers  as  synonymous  with  place  names  in  this  series  of  bulletins, 
calling  attention,  however,  to  the  synonymous  nomenclature. 

The  area  of  District  IV  includes  most  of  that  part  of  the  State 
lying  along  the  Illinois  valley,  wherein  exposures  of  coal  beds  are 

lWhite,  David,  Paleontological  work  in  Illinois  in  1908:  Ill.  State  Geol.  Sur¬ 
vey  Bull.  14,  p.  193,  1910. 


32 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


found  that  furnished  the  basis  for  the  Illinois  valley  section  of  the 
“Coal  Measures,,  prepared  by  Worthen  and  presented  in  Volume  III 
of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Illinois  (pages  3  to  6).  In  this  region 
Worthen  believed  that  he  had  identified  ten  beds  of  coal  in  a  vertical 
thickness  of  about  600  feet.  All  were  identified  in  the  immediate  vicin¬ 
ity  of  Illinois  River  except  coal  No.  4,  which  was  seen  only  near 
Cuba  in  Fulton  County.  He  numbered  the  coals  from  No.  1  up¬ 
ward,  Nos.  1,  2,  5,  and  6  corresponding  to  the  numbers  now  being 
used  for  the  respective  beds.  After  investigations  in  the  Fulton 
County  region,  Professor  T.  E.  Savage  states  that  the  bed  identified 
by  Worthen  as  No.  4  is  really  No.  5,  the  original  error  being  due  to  a 
decrease  in  the  interval  (undiscovered  by  Worthen)  between  No.  2  and 
No.  5  coals  toward  the  west  in  Fulton  County.  Worthen’s  No.  3 
coal  has  possibly  not  been  identified  with  certainty  by  later  investi¬ 
gators. 


STRATA  COMPRISING  THE  CAR30NDALE  FORMATION 

The  rock  strata  listed  by  Worthen1  in  the  Carbondale  portion  of 
his  section  of  the  “Coal  Measures”  in  central  and  northern  Illinois 
are  as  follows : 

Thickness  Total 

of  stratum  thickness 
Feet  Feet 


Coal  (No.  6)  .  6  6 

Fire  clay  passing  into  nodular  limestone  with  fossils  3  9 

Sandstone  and  sandy  or  argillaceous  shale .  35  44 

Limestone,  hard,  bituminous  .  2  46 

Shale,  black  .  3  49 

Coal  (No.  5)  .  6  55 

Fire  clay,  some  places  passing  into  argillaceous  lime¬ 
stone  .  3  58 

Shale  and  sandstone  .  20  78 

Coal  (No.  4)  .  3  81 

Sandstone  and  sandy  shale  with  dark  blue  and  choco¬ 
late-colored  bands  at  the  base .  80-100  181 

Coal  (No.  3)  .  3  184 

Sandstone  and  sandy  shales  becoming  argillaceous 
toward  the  base  and  inclosing  nodules  with  fossil 

plants,  insects,  fishes,  etc .  75  259 

Coal  (No.  2)  .  3  262 


The  stratigraphic  units  of  the  Carbondale  in  the  Avon-Canton 
quadrangles  as  determined  by  T.  E.  Savage,  are  believed  to  be  more 
accurate  than  those  of  Worthen,  and  are  as  follows : 


iWTorthen,  A.  H.,  Geological  Survey  of  Illinois,  Vol.  Ill,  pp.  5  and  6,  18GS. 


ROCK  FORMATIONS 


33 


16. 

Coal  (No.  6,  or  Herrin)  . 

Thickness 

Ft.  In. 
4-6 

Total 

thickness 

Ft.  In. 

6 

15. 

Shale,  gray  to  yellow  . 

6-8 

•  • 

14 

•  • 

14. 

Shale,  sandy,  and  thin  sandstone  layers  and 
sandstone  . 

13 

•  • 

27 

•  • 

13. 

- U  nconf  ormity - 

Shale,  gray  (Canton  shale)  . 

17 

44 

12. 

Shale,  blue  to  gray,  calcareous;  “clod”  . 

1 

8 

45 

8 

11. 

Limestone,  nodular  . 

8 

46 

4 

10. 

Shale,  black  . 

2 

•  • 

48 

4 

9. 

Coal  (No.  5,  or  Springfield)  . 

5 

3 

53 

7 

8. 

Clay  . 

2 

6 

56 

1 

7. 

Limestone,  nodular  . 

1 

•  • 

57 

1 

6. 

Shale,  gray  . 

12 

2 

69 

3 

5. 

Sandstone  and  sandy  shale  . 

25 

•  • 

94 

3 

4. 

Shale,  gray  . 

47 

•  • 

141 

3 

3. 

Shale,  black,  with  layer  of  nodular  septaria 
boulders  of  limestone  . 

3-6 

147 

3 

2. 

(Horizon  of  Worthen’s  No.  3  coal) 

Shale  . 

9-14 

161 

3 

1. 

Coal  (No.  2,  or  Avon)  . 

2 

6 

163 

9 

The  formation  in  the  Fulton  County  region,  especially  near  Cuba, 
is  broken  by  an  unconformity  between  No.  5  and  No.  6  coals,  whereby 
the  interval  between  the  two  coals  is  lessened  to  apparent  contact  in 
at  last  one  place,  with  various  distances  separating  the  coal  up  to  the 
usual  interval  of  about  65  feet  as  found  near  Canton.  This  varying 
interval  between  the  coals  was  apparently  not  noted  by  Worthen, 
so  that  No.  5  was  erroneously  called  No.  4  where  it  was  the  greater 
distance  below  No.  6,  and  No.  5  where  it  was  the  lesser. 

In  the  Peoria  County  region  the  Carbondale  section  apparently  be¬ 
gins  with  the  No.  2  (Pdue  Fly)  coal  bed  which  was  worked  at  Potts- 
town  and  Orchard.  This  coal  lies  190  to  200  feet  below  the  top  of 
the  formation  or  140  feet  below  No.  5  coal,  which  is  about  30  feet 
more  than  the  interval  in  the  Fulton  County  region.  In  both  Fulton 
and  Peoria  counties  No.  2  coal  is  covered  by  “soapstone”  followed  by 
black  shale  probably  containing  “niggerheads”  or  boulders  of  septaria 
limestone.  The  correlation  of  the  other  members  of  the  section  is 
impossible  with  the  data  at  hand.  As  in  the  Fulton  County  region, 
however,  the  lower  part  of  the  section  is  shale  and  the  upper  part 
up  to  the  underclay  of  No.  5  coal  is  largely  sandstone. 

The  succession  between  No.  5  and  No.  6  coals  in  the  Peoria  re¬ 
gion  is  very  similar  to  that  in  the  Fulton  County  area.  The  uncon¬ 
formity  mentioned  above  in  the  description  of  the  Fulton  County 


34 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


section  is  present  in  the  Peoria  area  and  in  both  regions  the  material 
resting  upon  the  eroded  surface  is  sandstone  or  sandy  shale.  Udden 
states1  as  follows : 

“The  surface  separating  this  shale  from  the  overlying  sandstone  is  not 
always  a  straight  line  or  even  plane.  There  are  many  broad  low  combs  in 
the  lower  surface  of  the  sandstone  which  extend  down  into  the  shale.  On 
close  inspection  of  the  bared  bottom  of  overhanging  parts  of  the  sandstone, 
especially  in  places  where  it  has  a  coarse  texture,  these  combs  are  seen  to 
have  the  forms  of  molds  made  in  small  channels,  which  were  cut  by  rills 
into  the  mud  bottom  of  the  underlying  shale.  The  largest  of  these  chan¬ 
nels  noted  on  the  old  mud  flats  is  3  feet  wide  and  about  9  inches  deep, 
evidently  a  cut  such  as  might  have  been  made  by  the  receding  tide.  To 
what  extent  the  differences  already  mentioned  in  the  thickness  of  the  shale 
may  be  due  to  more  extensive  erosion  at  this  level  it  is  not  possible  to  say, 
but  it  appears  probable  that  some  erosion  had  taken  place.” 

In  the  Springfield  region  the  average  thickness  of  the  Carbondale 
formation  is  about  243  feet,  or  about  50  feet  more  than  in  the  Peoria 
region.  No.  2  coal,  at  the  base,  is  commonly  in  two  beds,  each  ranging 
from  7  to  24  inches  in  thickness.  They  are  separated  by  a  few  feet 
of  dark  shale.  Above  the  coal  there  is  about  10  to  15  feet  of  shale  or 
shaly  sandstone,  upon  which  lies  25  to  35  feet  of  micaceous  and 
somewhat  argillaceous  sandstone  interbedded  with  layers  of  shale. 
Prom  the  top  of  the  sandstone  to  the  base  of  the  Springfield  (No.  5) 
coal  the  strata  consist  of  a  series  of  shale  beds  varying  in  color  from 
gray  to  blue  or  black.  At  some  places  they  appear  to  be  slightly 
sandy;  at  others  they  contain  thin  beds  of  coal.  In  the  Springfield 
boring  a  thin  coal  bed  was  encountered  56  feet  above  the  base  of  the 
formation  and  a  similar  coal  was  found  at  nearly  the  same  horizon 
in  a  drilling  near  Riverton.  About  30  feet  above  this  bed  another  thin 
coal  was  found  in  each  hole,  and  still  another  140  to  150  feet  above 
the  base  of  the  formation. 

The  interval  between  No.  5  and  No.  6  coals  is  much  the  same 
throughout  the  Springfield  region.  Above  the  No.  5  coal  is  commonly 
black  “slate,”  with  niggerheads  and  with  irregular  gray  markings 
resembling  fucoid  impressions  traversing  the  beds  and  appearing  on 
the  edges  of  the  blocks  as  light-gray  laminae  intercalated  between 
darker  material.  Locally  in  the  Springfield  region  a  layer  of  “clod” 
or  calcareous  shale  containing  much  pyrite  lies  between  the  coal  and 
the  black  shale.  In  Peoria  and  Fulton  counties  “clod”  is  found  lo¬ 
cally  at  the  position  of  the  limestone  “cap  rock”  above  the  black 
slate.  Overlying  the  “cap  rock”  commonly  is  a  shale  of  varying 

lUdden,  J.  A.,  Geology  and  mineral  resources  of  the  Peoria  quadrangle: 
U.  S.  Geological  Survey  Bull.  506,  p.  31,  1912. 


ROCK  FORMATIONS 


35 


thickness  overlain  in  turn  by  sandstone  which  latter  member  is  par¬ 
ticularly  conspicuous  in  the  Peoria  region,  where  in  places  it  is  ex¬ 
posed  to  a  thickness  of  55  to  60  feet.  Between  the  sandstone  and 
underlying  strata  is  probably  an  erosional  unconformity.  A  similar 
sandstone  lies  above  No.  5  coal  in  places  in  the  La  Salle  region,  and 
west  of  the  La  Salle  anticline  possibly  in  places  extends  below  the 
horizon  of  No.  5  within  about  100  feet  or  less  of  No.  2  coal.  In 
District  I  this  sandstone  has  been  designated  the  Vermilionville  sand¬ 
stone.  In  District  IV  the  sandstone  changes  vertically  somewhat 
abruptly  into  shale  and  fire  clay,  the  latter  forming  the  underclay  of 
No.  6  coal.  There  is  commonly  7  to  10  feet  of  this  shale  between  the 
coal  and  the  sandstone. 

The  thickness  of  the  Carbondale  formation  apparently  is  some¬ 
what  more  in  Sangamon  County  than  it  is  to  either  the  east  or  the 
west.  Its  thickness  of  240  feet  near  Springfield  has  already  been 
compared  with  a  thickness  of  190  to  200  feet  at  Peoria.  In  Macon 
County  there  is  about  190  feet  of  Carbondale  sediments  present,  and 
at  Bloomington  between  132  and  possibly  175  feet.  No.  6  coal  is  ap¬ 
parently  absent  over  much  of  McLean  County  so  that  the  exact  posi¬ 
tion  of  the  top  of  the  Carbondale  is  undeterminable. 

No.  6  coal  is  not  widespread  in  this  district.  In  the  Springfield 
area  it  is  found  as  a  thin  coal  14  inches  or  less  in  thickness  and  at 
an  average  interval  of  50  feet  above  No.  5  coal.  The  coal  increases 
in  thickness  southward  rather  rapidly,  so  that  at  Auburn  and  Chatham 
it  is  5  to  8  feet  thick.  In  the  Peoria  and  Fulton  County  region,  also, 
it  is  4  to  6  feet  thick.  Very  locally  at  Springfield  the  coal  thickens 
to  5  or  6  feet  as  in  the  shaft  at  Mechanicsburg.  To  the  east  and 
north  the  coal  entirely  plays  out  so  that  the  exact  position  of  the  top 
of  the  Carbondale  formation  is  indeterminable  and  No.  7  coal  is  the 
next  bed  of  workable  thickness  above  No.  5  coal.  This  relationship 
persists  northward  over  much  if  not  all  of  District  I.  The  absence 
of  No.  6  coal  is  thought  to  be  due  to  an  interval  of  erosion  or  non¬ 
deposition  near  the  end  of  Carbondale  time.  The  gap  may  be  due  to  the 
same  causes  which  produced  the  erosion  unconformity  already  de¬ 
scribed  between  No.  5  and  No.  6  coals  in  the  Fulton  and  Peoria  County 
region,  sandstone  deposition  continuing  for  longer  period  in  the  central 
portion  of  the  State  than  it  did  to  the  west.  This  seems  to  be  in 
harmony  with  movements  which  apparently  took  place  along  the 
La  Salle  anticline  at  about  the  end  of  the  Carbondale  period,  one 
effect  of  which  would  doubtless  have  been  to  make  the  adjacent  por¬ 
tion  of  the  coal  basin  unfavorably  located  for  peat  deposition.  There 
is  considerable  State-wide  evidence  for  believing  that  an  emergence 


36 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


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Fig  4. — Diagrammatic  section  showing  the  distinctive  strata  of  the  McLeansboro  formation: 
In  District  IV  as  a  whole  3.  In  Macon  County  and  District  VII 

In  the  Peoria  region  4.  In  the  northern  part  of  District  IV  and  in  District  I 


ROCK  FORMATIONS 


37 


of  the  sea  bottom  accompanied  by  erosion  took  place  near  the  end  of 
Carbondale  time,  but  the  exact  position  of  the  line  of  unconformity 
in  the  various  parts  of  the  State  varies  across  the  horizon  of  coal 
No.  6,  in  some  places  being  above  and  in  other  places  below  or  at 
the  horizon  of  the  coal.  In  southeastern  Illinois  and  western  Ken¬ 
tucky  the  line  of  this  unconformity  is  thought  to  be  marked  by  the 
base  of  the  Anvil  Rock  sandstone,  which  lies  near  the  base  of  the 
McLeansboro  formation. 

MCLEANSBORO  FORMATION 
GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 

The  McLeansboro  formation  includes  all  of  the  “Coal  Measures” 
strata  above  No.  6  coal.  It  takes  its  name  from  McLeansboro,  Ham¬ 
ilton  County,  Illinois,  where  borings  have  penetrated  it  to  a  depth  of 
one  thousand  feet.  It  underlies  the  entire  region  north  and  east 
of  the  line  of  outcrop  of  No.  6  coal,  and  in  most  of  the  district  is 
covered  by  a  variable  thickness  of  glacial  drift. 

The  formation  consists  of  shale  and  minor  amounts  of  sandstone, 
limestone,  and  coal.  Although  some  of  the  coals  above  No.  6  are 
persistent  in  distribution,  only  No.  7  coal  is  anywhere  sufficiently 
thick  in  this  area  to  be  of  commercial  value.  In  its  barrenness  of 
productive  coals  and  in  general  age,  the  McLeansboro  is  similar  to 
the  Conemaugh  formation  of  Pennsylvania. 

DISTINCTIVE  STRATA 

The  well  differentiated  distinctive  strata  of  the  McLeansboro 
formation  in  this  region  as  a  whole  may  be  enumerated  as  follows 
(Fig.  4)  : 

6.  Crows  Mill  limestone;  about  275  feet  above  No.  6  coal. 

5.  No.  8  coal,  with  limestone  above  and  greenish-gray  shale  below; 

about  150  feet  above  No.  6  coal. 

4.  Lonsdale  or  Rock  Creek  limestone;  about  75  feet  above  No.  6  coal 

and  30  to  40  feet  above  No.  7  coal. 

3.  No.  7  coal;  averages  about  50  feet  above  No.  6  coal. 

2.  Variegated  shale  between  cap  rock  of  No.  6  coal  and  No.  7. 

1.  A  hard  limestone  cap  rock  overlying  or  a  few  feet  above  No.  6  coal. 

In  the  Peoria  region  the  following  units  may  be  observed  (Fig.  4)  : 

5.  Lonsdale  limestone;  about  15  feet  thick,  30  to  40  feet  above  No.  7 

coal. 

4.  No.  7  coal;  about  18  inches  thick,  20  to  50  feet  above  No.  6  coal. 

3.  Variegated  shale  8  feet  and  less  in  thickness;  18  to  40  feet  above 

No.  6  coal. 

2.  Sandstone;  10  to  25  feet  thick,  8  to  17  feet  above  No.  6  coal. 

1.  Limestone;  about  5  feet  thick,  2  to  4  feet  above  No.  6  coal. 


38 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


In  Macon  County  a  section  similar  to  that  noted  in  District  VII1 
to  the  south  is  recorded  at  Blue  Mound,  including  the  following  dis¬ 
tinctive  horizons  (Fig.  4)  : 

6.  Shoal  Creek  limestone;  about  100  feet  above  the  Carlinville  lime¬ 

stone,  and  300  feet  above  No.  6  coal. 

5.  Carlinville  limestone;  about  230  feet  above  No.  6  coal. 

4.  No.  8  coal;  150  to  180  feet  above  No.  6  coal. 

3.  Variegated  shale;  about  60  feet  above  No.  6  coal. 

2.  No.  7  coal. 

1.  Cap  rock  of  No.  6  coal. 

The  section  in  the  northern  part  of  this  district  seems  to  be  much 
like  the  section  in  District  I  where  the  following  distinctive  horizons 
may  be  recognized  (Fig.  4)  : 

7.  Variegated  shales;  about  250  feet  above  No.  7  coal. 

6.  Coal;  about  232  feet  above  No.  7  coal. 

5.  Limestone,  La  Salle;  about  180  feet  above  No.  7  coal. 

4.  Limestone,  Spring  Valley;  about  150  feet  above  No.  7  coal. 

3.  No.  8  coal;  about  140  feet  above  No.  7  coal. 

2.  Lonsdale  limestone;  about  75  feet  above  No.  7  coal. 

1.  No.  7  coal,  of  commercial  thickness;  possibly  about  50  feet  above 
the  base  of  the  McLeansboro  formation,  No.  6  coal  not  being 
present. 

The  identification  of  the  various  strata  of  the  McLeansboro  for¬ 
mation  as  well  as  those  of  the  earlier  formations  is  accomplished 
by  comparison  of  sections  in  adjacent  drill  holes  and  by  a  few  ex¬ 
posures  in  the  upper  part  of  the  section  in  the  central  part  of  the  dis¬ 
trict.  Similarity  of  interval  between  successive  distinctive  strata  in 
various  places  is  practically  the  only  criterion  of  identification,  as  fossil 
studies  have  not  as  yet  yielded  index  fossils  for  the  various  positions 
in  “Coal  Measures,”  as  they  may  do  if  collections  were  systematically 
made  and  studied. 

Identifications  of  strata  on  the  basis  of  lithologic  similarity  and 
similarity  in  stratigraphic  interval  have  been  rather  satisfactory  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  State  where  drilling  is  closely  spaced,  and  the 
various  formations  are  widespread  at  characteristic  intervals.  Com¬ 
parison  of  sections  in  various  parts  of  northern  Illinois  seems  to  in¬ 
dicate  that  the  same  method  is  applicable  here  likewise,  but  in  all  parts 
of  the  coal  basin  there  is  need  for  paleontologic  verification  of  such 
identifications  by  the  aid  of  fossil  collections. 

Because  of  the  irregularity  in  the  distribution  of  drilling,  and 
geologic  and  other  exploratory  work,  and  because  of  the  consequent 

lKay,  Fred  H.,  Coal  Resources  of  District  VII:  Ill.  Min.  Investigations  Bull. 
11,  p.  23,  1915. 


ROCK  FORMATIONS 


39 


lack  of  knowledge  of  conditions  in  Menard,  Logan,  and  DeWitt  coun¬ 
ties,  the  southern  part  of  the  district,  comprising  Sangamon  and  Macon 
counties,  is  isolated  from  the  northern  and  western  part  of  the  district 
including  Schuyler,  Fulton,  Peoria,  Tazewell,  McLean,  Woodford,  and 
Livingston  counties  and  the  area  included  in  District  I.  The  section 
for  Peoria  and  Fulton  counties  continues  northward  and  in  Marshall 
County  merges  into  the  section  which  is  characteristic  of  District  I  as 
displayed  in  the  La  Salle  region  west  of  the  La  Salle  anticline.  At 
Sparland,  No.  6  coal  pinches  out  and  is  not  present  northward.  No.  7 
coal  persists  from  the  Peoria  region  into  the  La  Salle  region  becoming 
thicker  in  that  direction,  and  the  Lonsdale  limestone  can  be  traced  al¬ 
most  continuously  from  one  district  to  the  other.  At  Toluca,  No.  6 
coal  is  absent,  but  a  limestone,  possibly  the  cap  rock  of  No.  6,  below 
which  is  a  black  “slate/’  has  been  encountered  in  one  drill  hole,  in¬ 
dicating  a  transition  from  the  conditions  in  one  area  to  those  in  the 
other.  The  following  record  of  a  drilling  at  Toluca  illustrates  the  re¬ 
lationships. 


Record  of  boring  near  Toluca,  in  the  S.  W.  Y±  N.  E.  %  sec.  5,  T.  29 

N.,  R.  1  E. 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

In. 

Ft. 

In. 

Soil,  black . 

1 

.... 

1 

Clay,  brown . . 

5 

.... 

6 

.... 

Clay,  gray . . 

6 

.... 

12 

.... 

Sand  clay,  brown . . . 

5 

.... 

17 

Sand  (water) . 

8 

.... 

25 

.... 

Clay,  gray  and  red . 

43 

.... 

68 

.... 

Limestone . 

3 

.... 

71 

.... 

Soapstone,  light  red . . 

20 

.... 

91 

.... 

“Soapstone,”  pink . 

8 

.... 

99 

.... 

Limestone . 

3 

.... 

102 

.... 

Silt,  black . 

3 

.... 

105 

.... 

Soapstone,  light  gray . 

8 

.... 

113 

.... 

“Soapstone,”  red. . 

4 

.... 

117 

.... 

Limestone . 

7 

6 

124 

6 

“Soapstone,”  gray . 

5 

6 

130 

.... 

Limestone . . 

2 

.... 

132 

.... 

“Soapstone,”  dark.. . 

3 

.... 

135 

.... 

“Soapstone,”  gray.. . 

2 

.... 

137 

.... 

Clay,  red . 

11 

— — 

148 

.... 

Limestone . 

7 

.... 

155 

.... 

Clay,  red . 

1 

.... 

156 

.... 

“Soapstone,”  red . 

4 

.... 

160 

.... 

40 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Record  of  boring  near  Toluca — Concluded 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Clay,  red . . . 

7 

167 

“Soapstone,”  gray . 

3 

170 

Clay,  red . . . 

2 

172 

“Soapstone,”  gray . 

11 

• 

183 

“Slate,”  black . 

2 

185 

“Soapstone,”  gray . 

1 

186 

Limestone . 

13 

199 

Clay,  red . . . . . 

9 

208 

“Soapstone,”  dark . 

8 

216 

Limestone . . 

5 

221 

“Soapstone,”  gray . 

14 

235 

Sandstone . . . 

14 

249 

“Soapstone,”  gray . 

14 

263 

“Soapstone,”  sandy . 

9 

272 

“Soapstone,”  gray . 

7 

279 

“Slate,”  black . 

3 

282 

“Soapstone,”  gray . 

6 

288 

Coal  (“1st  vein”  or  No.  7) . 

4 

3 

292 

3 

Fire  clay . 

8 

9 

301 

“Soapstone,”  gray . 

16 

6 

317 

6 

Limestone . 

1 

6 

319 

“Slate,”  black . 

4 

323 

“Soapstone,”  gray . 

5 

328 

“Slate,”  black. . 

14 

342 

Coal  (“2d  vein”  or  No.  5) . 

2 

344 

Fire  clay . 

7 

349 

.... 

“Soapstone,”  gray . 

17 

.... 

366 

.... 

Fire  clay . 

4 

mmmm 

370 

.... 

“Soapstone” . 

15 

_  _  _  _ 

385 

Sand  shale . 

10 

395 

.... 

Sand  shale. . 

9 

404 

“Soapstone,”  sandy . 

90 

.... 

494 

.... 

“Soapstone,”  gray . 

5 

.... 

499 

.... 

Coal  (“3d  vein”  or  No.  2) . 

2 

6 

501 

6 

Fire  clay . 

3 

6 

505 

.... 

The  succession  of  the  Dongwall  District,  which  as  has  been  stated, 
can  be  traced  into  the  Peoria  area  along  the  Illinois  valley,  persists 
southward  in  the  eastern  part  of  District  IV  along  the  line  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  at  least  at  far  as  Bloomington.  Accordingly, 
as  in  the  Longwall  District,  the  coals  in  the  northern  part  of  District  IV 
are  commonly  known  as  “first,”  “second,”  and  “third  vein”  coals,  and, 


ROCK  FORMATIONS 


41 


as  in  the  La  Salle  region,  the  “first  vein”  is  No.  7  of  the  Illinois  sec¬ 
tion,  the  “second  vein,”  No.  5,  and  the  “third  vein”  is  No.  2.  No.  6 
coal,  as  has  been  stated,  is  absent  in  this  part  of  the  State. 

Between  Bloomington  and  the  south  boundary  of  the  district,  the 
section  changes  with  the  thinning  of  No.  7  coal,  and  with  the  intercala¬ 
tion  of  No.  6  coal  and  its  cap-rock  limestone  between  coals  No.  7  and 
No.  5.  The  stages  of  this  transition  have  not  been  determined,  as  the 
details  of  the  section  between  Bloomington  and  Decatur  are  not  well 
known,  very  little  drilling  having  been  done  in  that  part  of  the  dis¬ 
trict.  Not  improbably  it  is  very  similar  to  the  change  that  takes  place 
in  the  section  along  the  Illinois  valley  between  Peoria  and  the  Longwall 
District. 

In  the  following  paragraphs  each  of  the  distinctive  strata  of  Dis¬ 
trict  IV  in  the  McLeansboro  formation  as  previously  listed,  will  be  de¬ 
scribed  in  some  detail. 


1.  Limestone  above  No.  6  coal. — No.  6  coal  is  of  workable  thick¬ 
ness  in  this  district  only  in  Fulton,  Schuyler,  and  Peoria  counties.  In 
most  of  the  area  it  is  absent.  Where  this  coal  is  present  it  has  a  per¬ 
sistent  limestone  cap  rock  which  possibly  has  a  wider  distribution  than 
the  coal  itself.  In  the  Peoria  region  this  cap  rock  ranges  in  thickness 
from  3  inches  to  4  feet  and  averages  a  little  more  than  2  feet.  In 
places  it  is  absent  from  the  section.  A  similar  limestone  is  reported 
over  the  No.  6  coal  in  Springfield  region.  A  black  shale  commonly 
separates  the  coal  from  the  limestone  in  all  regions,  but  in  places  in  the 
Peoria  region  this  shale  and  even  the  limestone  and  some  of  the  coal 
is  replaced  by  a  variable  sandy  deposit  known  among  the  miners  as 
“white  top.”  In  the  northern  part  of  the  State  a  similar  material  is 
found  associated  with  No.  5  coal,  particularly  at  La  Salle  and  Cherry. 

2.  Variegated  shale  below  No.  7  coal. — Savage  reports  a  per¬ 
sistent  bed  of  variegated  calcareous  shale,  red,  blue,  greenish,  choco¬ 
late-colored,  and  mottled,  occupying  part  of  the  section  between  the 
cap  rock  of  No.  6  coal  and  No.  7  coal  in  the  Springfield  region.  Red¬ 
dish  shales  at  about  the  same  horizon  have  been  noted  by  Savage  in  the 
Canton  region  and  bv  Udden  in  the  Peoria  region.  It  is  noteworthy 
that  similar  variegated  shales  are  remarkably  persistent  in  District  IV 
at  a  higher  horizon,  namely,  about  50  feet  above  No.  6  coal  and  as  a 
rule  a  short  distance  above  rather  than  below  the  horizon  of  No.  7  coal. 
Reddish  shales  do  not  occur  in  the  northern  part  of  the  district  or  in 
District  I  nearer  than  about  40  feet  above  No.  7  coal,  but  above  that 
level  are  rather  common. 


3.  No.  7  coal. — No.  7  coal  is  one  of  the  three  persistent  coal  beds 
of  this  district.  It  is  thin  to  the  south  and  southwest,  averaging  only 


42 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


2y2  inches  in  thickness  in  the  Springfield  quadrangle,1  and  in  pluses 
represented  only  by  a  thin  bed  of  black  shale.  In  the  Peoria  quadrangle 
it  averages  1  foot  5  inches  in  thickness,  and  Savage  reports  an  average 
thickness  of  12  to  18  inches  in  the  Avon  and  Canton  quadrangles. 
North  from  Bloomington  and  Chillicothe  the  coal  becomes  of  work¬ 
able  thickness,  and  it  has  been  mined  at  various  places  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  State,  most  notably  at  Streator.  This  coal  will  be  described 
in  greater  detail  on  later  pages. 

4.  Lonsdale  limestone. — The  Lonsdale  limestone  is  one  of  the 
widely  distributed  limestones  in  the  “Coal  Measures”  of  northern  Illi¬ 
nois.  It  has  not  been  identified  south  of  Sangamon  County,  but  it  oc¬ 
cupies  a  stratigraphic  position  similar  to  that  of  certain  limestones 
found  in  Randolph  and  Perry  counties  a  short  distance  above  the  coal 
identified  as  No.  7.  The  limestone  has  been  traced  from  Fulton  County 
northward  to  Bureau  County,  is  probably  represented  by  one  of  the 
several  limestones  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Pennsylvanian  system  in  the 
La  Salle  region,  and  has  been  tentatively  correlated  with  the  limestone 
outcrop  along  Vermilion  River  between  Streator  and  Pontiac.  It  is 
believed  to  be  the  same  as  the  Rock  Creek  limestone  of  the  Springfield 
region.2 

This  limestone  was  first  described  by  Worthen3  from  the  old  Lons¬ 
dale  quarries  in  the  Peoria  region.  U'dden4  describes  it  as  consisting 
of  a  lower  5  feet  of  firmly  cemented,  largely  organic  limestone  in  beds 
varying  in  thickness  from  6  inches  to  18  inches,  and  in  character 
from  typical  crinoidal  limestone  to  calcareous  mud-lump  breccia;  and 
an  upper  bed  15  feet  thick  of  slightly  argillaceous  more  flaggy  rock,  in 
which  concretionarv  structures  can  nearlv  always  be  detected. 

In  the  Peoria  region  this  limestone  lies  40  to  50  feet  above  No.  7 
coal ;  in  the  Canton  region  about  60  feet  above  the  coal ;  in  the  Spring- 
field  region  (supposing  it  to  be  the  same  as  the  Rock  Creek  limestone), 
about  45  feet;  in  the  Streator  region  about  70  feet;  and  at  Bloomington 
possibly  about  70  feet.  The  Lonsdale  limestone  has  not  been  definitely 
identified  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  district  nor  generally  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  State. 

5.  No.  8  coal. — No.  8  coal,  although  too  thin  to  be  of  commercial 
importance,  has  a  persistence  comparable  to  that  of  any  coal  beds  of  thfc. 
State.  It  can  be  traced  throughout  Districts  VII,  VI,  and  probably  V, 
practically  to  Ohio  River.  It  is  commonly  between  12  to  18  inches 
thick,  but  locally  increases  to  30  inches.  Locally  it  is  absent.  It  is  gen- 

iU.  S.  Geological  Survey  Folio  188,  p.  5. 

2TT.  S.  Geological  Survey  Folio  188,  o.  6. 

3Worthen,  A.  H.,  Geological  Survey  of  Illinois  Vol.  5,  p.  238,  1873. 

4Udden,  J.  A..  Geologj^  and  mineral  resources  of  the  Peoria  quadrangle: 
U.  S.  Geological  Survey  Bull.  506,  pp.  39-40,  1912- 


ROCK  FORMATIONS 


43 


erally  overlain  by  black  shale.  This  thin  coal  lies  approximately  halt- 
way  between  No.  6  coal  and  the  Carlinville  limestone.  The  various  in¬ 
tervals  between  this  coal  and  No.  7  m  District  IV  may  be  observed  by 
inspection  of  the  following  table : 


Table  1. — Interval  betiueen  No  8  and  No.  7  coals  in  District  IV  cornpared 

with  the  range  of  interval  in  District  VII  _  , 

Locality  Interval 

Feet 


Springfield 
Niantic  .  .  . 
Blue  Mound 
Decatur  . . . 
Lovington  . 
Assumption 
Divernon  . 
La  Salle  .  . 
Saybrook  . . 
District  VII 


. ...  77 
....100 
. . . .140 

_ 130  + 

. .. .150 
....130 
. . . .120 
.  ..  147? 

. . .  169 
150-180 


6.  Carlinville  limestone. — The  Carlinville  limestone  is  one  of  the 
most  widely  distributed  beds  in  the  “Coal  Measures”  of  Illinois.  It 
has  been  traced  from  the  Indiana  State  line  in  Gallatin  County  north¬ 
east  to  Carlinville,  Macoupin  County,  and  is  probably  the  same  as  the 
Crows  Mill  limestone  of  the  Springfield  region  and  the  La  Salle  lime¬ 
stone  of  the  La  Salle  region. 

In  the  type  localities  this  limestone  is,  according  to  Udden1,  “gen¬ 
erally  bluish  gray,  compact,  close-textured,  and  very  hard,  breaking 
into  irregular,  splintery  pieces.  On  weathering  it  assumes  a  rusty 
color.  It  averages  about  7  feet  in  thickness.  There  are  two  features 
that  are  characteristic  of  this  limestone,  one  a  blotchy  appearance  and 
the  other  its  tendency  to  weather  into  seams  two  and  one-half  or  three 
inches  in  thickness.” 


The  various  intervals  between  this  limestone  and  No.  6  and  No.  7 

% 

coal,  so  far  as  either  or  both  are  present,  is  shown  in  the  accompanying 


table. 


Table  2. — Intervals  between  the  Carlinville  limestone  and 


No.  6  and  No.  7  coals 


Interval 


Locality 

To  No.  6  coal 

To  No.  7  coal 

y...  .jl( 

Feet 

Feet 

Macoupin  County  . 

.  200-220 

200± 

Springfield  ((’rows  Mill  limestone) . 

.  210-215 

160 

Divernon  . 

.  215+- 

160 

Niantic  . . 

.  190 

175 

Blue  Mound  . 

.  225 

190 

Maroa  . 

.  225 

200 

Decatur  . 

.  190 

180 

lUrlden,  J.  A.,  Shoal  Creek  limestone;  Illinois  State  Geological  Survey 
Bull.  8,  p.  119,  1908. 


44 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Interval 


Locality 

To  No.  6  coal 

To  No.  7  coal 

Feet 

Feet 

Lovington  (Shoal  Creek  limestone?).... 

.  300 

270 

Assumption  . 

220 

Toluca  . 

.  190+ 

170 

Say brook  . 

.  290? 

180 

District  VII 

(Central  and  southern  parts)  . 

.  275-325 

•  •  • 

(Northern  part)  . 

.  200-275 

•  •  • 

As  in  the  case  of  the  interval  between  the  No.  7  coal  and  the  Lons¬ 
dale  limestone  and  No.  8  coal,  there  is  a  general  decrease  in  interval 
in  the  Sangamon  County  region  in  passing  from  adjacent  regions  to  the 
east  and  southeast,  and  possibly  to  the  northwest. 

The  equivalency  of  the  Carlinville  and  La  Salle  limestones  was 
postulated  as  probable  by  Worthen,1  who  says : 

“I  have  been  inclined  to  regard  this  limestone  as  the  equivalent  of  that 
at  Carlinville,  which  it  resembles,  both  in  its  lithologic  character  and  in 
the  specific  character  of  its  embedded  fossils.  *  *  *  It  is  rather  more 
argillaceous  here  than  in  Macoupin  County,  but  otherwise  it  bears  a  close 
resemblance  to  that  rock,  and  its  position  is  about  where  that  limestone, 
if  present  here,  should  be  found.’' 

While  investigations  by  the  present  Survey  have  yielded  no  definite 
evidence  from  fossil  collections  of  the  correlation  of  the  two  lime¬ 
stones,  they  indicate  the  probable  correctness  of  Worthen’s  determina¬ 
tion  ;  at  least,  they  do  not  throw  any  doubt  upon  it. 

7.  Higher  distinctive  horizons. — Erosion  has  cut  off  the  Penn¬ 
sylvanian  strata  in  the  district  shortly  above  the  horizon  of  the  Carlin¬ 
ville  limestone.  Possibly  in  Macon,  Dewitt,  and  southeastern  McLean 
counties,  strata  as  high  as  No.  9  coal  and  the  Shoal  Creek  limestone 
are  preserved  where  the  rock  surface  is  highest.  Such  is  not  known  to 
be  the  case,  however.  Both  of  these  members  are  possibly  present 
very  locally  in  the  La  Salle  region. 

The  New  Haven  limestone,  which  is  fairly  widespread  in  southern 
Illinois  within  the  area  surrounded  by  its  outcrop,  lies  about  200  to 
250  feet  above  the  Carlinville  limestone,  and  apparently  outcrops  near 
the  north  boundary  of  District  VII  between  Assumption  and  Loving- 
ton  on  the  south  and  southeast,  and  Decatur  on  the  north. 

According  to  the  old  classification  of  Worthen  whereby  the  Penn¬ 
sylvanian  strata  in  Illinois  were  separated  into  lower  and  upper  “Coal 
Measures”  at  the  horizon  of  No.  9  coal,  the  upper  measures  are  lack¬ 
ing  in  this  district  except  possibly  for  a  narrow  belt  extending  north¬ 
ward  along  the  east  boundary 


lGeological  Survey  of  Illinois,  Vol.  7,  p.  48. 


CHEMICAL  VALUE  OF  COALS  IN  DISTRICT  IV 


A  detailed  report  on  the  chemical  character  of  Illinois  coals  has 
been  published  as  Bulletin  3]  of  this  series,  so  that  a  discussion  of  the 
quality  of  the  coals  in  this  district  is  not  necessary.  However,  for  con¬ 
venience,  tables  3,  4  and  5  are  here  given.  Tables  3  and  4  relate  only 
to  the  coals  in  the  counties  treated  in  this  report.  Table  5,  which  shows 
the  average  district  analyses  of  coals,  is  presented  for  ease  of  general 
comparison  of  the  District  IV  coals  with  those  of  the  other  districts. 
In  Plate  IV  the  same  material  as  is  given  in  table  5  is  presented  in 
graphic  form. 

A  very  brief  statement  of  the  meaning  of  each  of  the  several  col¬ 
umns,  which  give  the  results  of  analyses  in  tables  3,  4  and  5,  will  doubt¬ 
less  be  of  service  in  rendering  these  results  more  intelligible,  and 
therefore  of  greater  usefulness  to  the  average  reader  unfamiliar  with 
the  technology  of  coal. 

The  “Proximate  analysis”  columns  group  the  compounds  which  either 
make  up  the  coal  or  are  derived  from  it,  into  water,  ash,  volatile  matter, 
and  fixed  carbon,  the  last  two  comprising  the  combustible  matter.  A  recal¬ 
culation  of  the  results  of  each  analysis  is  given  on  the  second  line  in  most 
cases,  showing  percentage  of  the  various  constituents  on  the  hypothetical 
basis  of  no  moisture  in  the  coal. 

The  moisture  content  of  coal  though  unavoidable  is  detrimental.  Not 
only  does  the  water  displace  its  own  weight  of  combustible  matter,  but  in 
addition  it  absorbs  heat  during  burning,  100  B.t.u’s  per  pound  being  a  com¬ 
mon  figure  for  ordinary  bituminous  coal  of  average  mois  ure  content.  Ob¬ 
viously,  other  factors  being  equal,  a  coal  of  the  lowest  possible  moisture  con¬ 
tent  should  be  purchased. 

The  ash  in  coal  (chiefly  compounds  of  silica,  alumina,  lime,  and  iron, 
together  with  smaller  quantities  of  magnesia,  titanium,  and  alkali  com¬ 
pounds)  is  another  harmful  constituent.  Not  only  does  it  displace  its  own 
weight  of  heat-forming  compounds,  and  decrease  the  efficiency  of  com¬ 
bustion  just  as  does  the  moisture  content,  but  in  addition  any  increase  in 
ash  percentage  means  a  corresponding  increase  in  the  cost  of  handling  the 
coal,  by  making  bo'h  freight  costs  and  costs  of  disposition  of  the  refuse 
greater.  Furthermore,  certain  types  of  ash  contain  such  high  percentages 
of  iron  and  alumina  that  they  fuse  easily  and  cause  clinkering  trouble 
in  furnaces. 

The  “volatile  matter”  and  “fixed  carbon”  columns  give  the  relative 
amounts  of  gaseous  and  solid  combustible  mat  er.  They  are,  of  course, 
the  heat-producing  constituents.  For  domestic  use  a  low-volatile  coal  is  to 
be  preferred  because  the  ordinary  domestic  stoves  and  furnaces  are  capable 
of  utilizing  only  a  small  proportion  of  the  volatile  matter.  However,  mod¬ 
ern  steam-generating  appliances  such  as  are  used  industrially  are  so  con¬ 
structed  as  to  take  care  of  the  gases  satisfactorily  and  either  low-  or  high- 
volatile  coal  can  be  used  with  equal  efficiency. 


iParr,  S.  W.,  a  chemical  study  of  Illinois  coals:  Ill.  Coal  Mining  Investigations 
Bull.  3,  1916.  This  bulletin  is  out  of  print,  but  the  analyses  it  contains  have  been 
reprinted  in  State  Geological  Survey  Bulletin  29,  in  a  paper  by  S.  W.  Parr  on  “The 
Purchase  and  Sale  of  Illinois  Coal  under  Specifications.” 

45 


46 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Sulphur  is  present  generally  in  the  form  of  pyrite  (iron  sulphide.) 
It  is  especially  deleterious  in  the  manufacture  of  coke  and  gas,  and  if  asso¬ 
ciated  with  an  ash  of  high  lime  and  iron  content  it  may  help  to  cause 
clinkering.  Otherwise  it  is  not  particularly  harmful,  for  as  a  rule  it  dis¬ 
places  a  negligible  amount  of  combustible  material,  and  has  some  virtue 
in  that  it  does  not  absorb  heat  as  do  water  and  ash,  but  will  even  pro¬ 
duce  about  a  third  as  much  heat  as  does  carbon. 

The  “B.t.u.'”  column  gives  the  calorific  (heat)  values  of  the  coals  in 
British  thermal  uni's  per  pound  of  coal.  These  values  indicate  the  propor¬ 
tional  heating  power  of  the  coals  and  are  therefore  extremely  important 
as  a  means  of  comparison.  In  their  calculation,  account  is  taken  of  the  ash 
and  moisture  present,  as  well  as  the  combustible  matter. 

“Unit  coal/’  on  the  contrary,  takes  account  only  of  the  pure  coal  sub¬ 
stance,  free  from  ash,  moisture,  sulphur,  or  other  impurities.  Since  the 
“pure  coal”  is  essentially  the  same  for  any  single  mine  from  year  to  year, 
the  “unit-coal”  figure  will  remain  practically  unchanged;  the  “B.t.u.”  figure, 
however,  will  vary  in  proportion  to  the  variations  from  place  to  place  in 
the  mine  in  the  amount  of  ash,  sulphur,  and  moisture  present,  and  therefore 
for  the  average  practical  user,  up-to-date  B.t.u.  values  will  afford  a  more 
satisfactory  means  of  comparison  of  the  coals  than  will  the  “unit-coal” 
values,  useful  though  they  may  be  for  certain  purposes. 


Table  3 — Analyses  of  mine  samples  from  District  IV 

Not  exactly  indicative  of  commercial  output 


6 

2 

X 

' — ^ 

o’ 

2 

V 

£ 

Date  of  analysis  (c 

County 

U 

Proximate  analysis  of  coal 

1st:  “As  reed,”  with  total 
moisture. 

2nd:  “Dry”  or  moisture  free 

u 

3 

£ 

W 

u 

4-S 

££ 

Unit  coal 

Moisture 

Volatile 

matter 

Fixed 

carbon 

03 

< 

5229 

1602 

7/12 

Christian . . 

1 

11  .27 

38  68 

40.55 

9.50 

2.07 

.33 

11445 

C21 

Dry 

43.59 

45.70 

10.71 

2.33 

.37 

12898 

14666 

5230 

1602 

7/12 

Christian _ 

1 

11  .52 

38.78 

41  .01 

8.69 

2.42 

.97 

11648 

C21 

Dry 

43.83 

46 .35 

9.82 

2  .73 

1.10 

13163 

14707 

5231 

1602 

7/12 

Christian . 

1 

11 .13 

39.21 

41  .26 

8.40 

2.56 

.61 

11715 

C21 

Dry 

44.12 

46.43 

9.45 

2.88 

.69 

13183 

14779 

5205 

1602 

7/12 

Christian . . 

2 

12  .07 

39.36 

41.91 

6  66 

3 .74 

.07 

11776 

C21 

Dry 

44.77 

47.66 

7 . 57 

4.26 

.09 

13393 

14730 

5206 

1602 

7/12 

Christian . 

2 

12.53 

38.00 

40 . 62 

8.25 

3.67 

.31 

11389 

C21 

Dry 

44.12 

46.44 

9.44 

4.22 

.35 

13020 

14641 

5207 

1602 

7/12 

Christian . 

2 

14.30 

39.54 

40.30 

5.86 

2.00 

.24 

11609 

C21 

Dry 

46.14 

47.02 

6.84 

2.33 

.28 

13544 

14702 

1869 

1602 

10/08 

Christian . 

2 

11.54 

36 . 65 

42.89 

8.92 

3.87 

11631 

Dry 

41.42 

48.50 

10 .08 

4.38 

13148 

14912 

12469 

0328 

4/21 

Fulton . 

1 

11  .38 

38.66 

39.51 

10.45 

4.52 

.87 

11436 

Dry 

43.62 

44.58 

11 .80 

5.10 

,98 

12905 

14979 

12470 

0328 

4/21 

Fulton 

1 

11 .42 

38  17 

40  .07 

10  34 

4.76 

.45 

11409 

Dry 

43.09 

45.24 

11 .67 

5 .37 

.51 

12880 

14934 

12471 

0328 

4/21 

Fulton . 

1 

10.84 

38.42 

40.91 

9.83 

5.61 

.  54 

11554 

Dry 

43.09 

45.88 

11  .03 

6.29 

.61 

12959 

14939 

CHEMICAL  VALUE  OF  COALS 


47 


Table  3 — Analyses  of  mine  samples  from  District  IV — Continued 


6 

£ 

X) 

'w' 

6 

£ 

fc 

Date  of  analysis  (c 

County 

Coal  bed 

Proximate  analysis  of  coal 

1st:  “As  reed,”  with  total 
moisture. 

2nd:  “Dry”  or  moisture  free. 

Sulphur 

w 

u 

B.  t.  u. 

Unit  coal 

Moisture 

Vola  tile 

ma  tter 

Fixed 

carbon 

Ash 

1858 

0328 

9/08 

Fulton . 

1 

17  .21 

37.49 

38  69 

6.61 

3 . 90 

11147 

Dry 

45.28 

46.73 

7.99 

4.71 

13464 

14904 

2753 

1422 

Fulton  . 

2 

14.87 

35.80 

43  88 

5  45 

11641 

Dry 

42.06 

51  .54 

6.40 

3.69 

13674 

14083 

12442 

0102 

4/21 

Fulton . 

5 

15.43 

33 . 62 

39.47 

11.48 

2.50 

1  .41 

10389 

Dry 

39.76 

46.67 

13.57 

2.66 

1  .67 

12285 

14473 

12443 

0103 

4/21c 

Fulton  . . 

5 

14.43 

34 . 60 

39  09 

11  88 

2.82 

2.45 

10320 

Dry 

40  43 

45.69 

13.88 

3.29 

2.86 

12061 

14297 

12444 

0103 

4/21 

Fulton . 

5 

15.00 

33.10 

37.31 

14.59 

3.38 

2.86 

9834 

Dry 

38.94 

43.89 

17.17 

3.98 

3.36 

11569 

14300 

12445 

0103 

4/21 

Fulton 

5 

14.69 

34  07 

40  18 

11  06 

2.83 

1  .75 

10383 

Dry 

39.94 

47.09 

12.97 

3.32 

2.05 

12172 

14266 

12446 

0103 

4/21 

Fulton 

5 

14  52 

34  46 

37  64 

13  38 

2.91 

2.74 

10045 

Dry 

40.31 

44.04 

15.65 

3.40 

3.21 

11752 

14261 

12447 

0103 

4/21 

Fulton 

5 

14  75 

33  18 

38  89 

13  18 

3.70 

1  .54 

9869 

Dry 

38.92 

45.62 

15.46 

4.34 

1  .81 

11577 

14298 

12448 

0103 

4/21 

Fulton 

5 

14  28 

34  93 

38  76 

12  03 

2  56 

1  .98 

10329 

Dry 

40.75 

45.22 

14.03 

2.99 

2.31 

12061 

14316 

12472 

0104 

4/21 

Fulton 

5 

15.32 

35  12 

38  05 

1151 

2.59 

1  .41 

10482 

Dry 

41  .48 

44  .93 

13  .59 

3  .06 

1  .66 

12379 

14617 

12473 

0104 

4/21 

Fulton 

5 

15  09 

13  37 

39  41 

10  13 

2.68 

1 .79 

10741 

Dry 

41  .66 

46.41 

11 .93 

3.16 

1  .66 

12650 

14631 

12474 

0104 

4/21 

Fulton 

5 

15.56 

35  68 

38  92 

9.84 

2.43 

1  .33 

10753 

Dry 

42.26 

46.09 

11.65 

2 . 88 

1.58 

12735 

14668 

12475 

0104 

4/21 

Fulton . 

5 

14.56 

35.37 

38 . 98 

1 1  09 

2.72 

1  .38 

10581 

Dry 

41  .40 

45.62 

12.98 

3.19 

1  .62 

12384 

14512 

12476 

0104 

4/21 

Fulton  . 

5 

15.39 

33 . 82 

38.77 

12.02 

3.40 

1  67 

10338 

Dry 

39.97 

45.82 

14.21 

4.02 

1.97 

12219 

14565 

12477 

0104 

4/21 

Fulton 

5 

15  66 

34  65 

37  56 

12  13 

2 . 93 

1  .88 

10242 

Dry 

41 .08 

44.54 

14.38 

3.47 

2  23 

12144 

14583 

12439 

0111 

4/21 

Fulton 

5 

13  37 

36  03 

39  03 

11.57 

3 . 06 

1 .46 

10787 

Dry 

41.59 

45 . 06 

13.35 

3.52 

1 .69 

12452 

1 4670 

12440 

0111 

4/21 

Fulton . .. 

5 

14.44 

34.71 

38 . 58 

12.27 

2.17 

1  .80 

10578 

Dry 

40 . 57 

45 . 09 

14.34 

2 . 54 

2.10 

1 2364 

1 4683 

12441 

01)1 

4/21 

Fulton 

14  96 

33  65 

39  96 

1 1  43 

4  32 

111 

10502 

Dry 

39 . 57 

46 . 99 

13.44 

5 . 08 

1  .30 

12352 

11616 

°)  The  analyses  that  have  “US”  laboratory  numbers  were  made  by  either  the  U.  S.  Bureau 
of  Mines  or  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  as  indicated  in  later  footnotes  which  make  reference 
to  their  place  of  publication. 

&)  Analyses  having  the  same  file  number  are  for  a  single  mine.  It  should  be  remembered 
that  as  much  dependence  can  not  be  placed  on  a  single  analysis  from  a  given  mine  as  may  be 
placed  on  a  group  from  one  mine. 

Analyses  having  “C”  file  numbers  are  republished  from  State  Geological  Survey  Bulletin 
29,  and  Illinois  Mining  Investigations  Bulletin  3,  and  belong  to  a  series  made  by  J.  M.  Lindgren 
under  the  general  supervision  of  Professor  S.  W.  Parr  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  for  those 
bulletins. 

c)  The  Fulton  County  analyses  that  have  April,  1921,  as  the  date  of  analysis,  were  made 
on  samples  recently  collected  by  or  under  the  supervision  of  H.  E.  Culver  of  the  Survey  staff. 


48 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Table  3 — Analyses  of  mine  samples  from  District  IV — Continued 


Z 

V 

z 

Date  of  analysis  (c 

County 

0 

Proximate  analysis  of  coal 

1st:  “As  reed,”  with  total 
moisture. 

2nd:  “Dry”  or  moisture  free. 

Sulphur 

w 

u 

-4-2 

A*) 

Unit  coal 

•Z 

X 

1 

TZ  c 

-5  n 
>  5 

*-£ 

g 

< 

5345 

0115 

8/12 

Fulton . 

5 

16.36 

33.91 

38.19 

11.54 

2.93 

1  .27 

10186 

C30 

Dry 

40.54 

45.66 

13.80 

3.50 

1.51 

12179 

14431 

5346 

0115 

8/12 

Fulton  . 

5 

16  33 

35 . 50 

37  .01 

11.16 

2.89 

1  .84 

10220 

C30 

Dry 

42.42 

44.23 

13.35 

3.45 

2  .20 

12213 

14389 

5347 

0115 

8/12 

Fulton _ 

5 

15 .85 

36 . 12 

38  12 

9.91 

3.36 

1  .47 

10494 

C30 

Dry 

42.92 

45.30 

11.78 

4.00 

1  .75 

12471 

14386 

5293 

0127 

8/12 

Fulton  . 

5 

17.13 

36.23 

34.44 

12.20 

3.03 

1  .79 

9846 

C29 

Dry 

43.72 

41  .55 

14.73 

3.66 

2.16 

11882 

14252 

5297 

0127 

8/12 

Fulton . 

5 

1 6 . 59 

35.98 

37.20 

10  .23 

4  07 

1  .77 

10271 

C29 

Dry 

43.14 

44.61 

12.25 

4.88 

2  12 

12314 

14354 

5300 

0127 

8/12 

Fulton . 

5 

15.41 

35 . 67 

39.04 

9.88 

3.31 

.52 

10579 

C29 

Dry 

42.16 

46.15 

11  .69 

3.92 

.61 

12505 

14443 

12459 

0134 

4/21 

Fulton . . 

5 

14.57 

35 . 24 

39 . 58 

10.61 

2 .89 

1  .00 

10562 

Dry 

41 .25 

46.33 

12.42 

3.38 

1.17 

12363 

14391 

12460 

0134 

4/21 

Fulton . 

5 

16.16 

35 . 65 

37 . 89 

10.30 

2.50 

1  .56 

10422 

Dry 

42.52 

45.19 

12.29 

2.98 

1 .86 

12431 

14434 

1246  L 

0134 

4/21 

Fulton . . . 

5 

13.35 

37.84 

39 . 86 

8  95 

9  9  9 

1  .77 

10843 

Dry 

43.67 

46.00 

10.33 

2.56 

2.04 

12514 

14150 

12462 

0134 

4/21 

Fulton 

5 

15.86 

35.20 

37 . 32 

1 1  62 

3.49 

1  .31 

10198 

Dry 

41  84 

44.35 

13.81 

4.15 

1  .56 

12120 

14380 

12463 

0134 

4/21 

Fulton . . 

5 

14.34 

35.09 

36.72 

13.85 

3.84 

2.47 

9944 

Dry 

40.96 

42.87 

16.17 

4.48 

2.89 

11609 

14217 

12464 

0134 

4/21 

Fulton 

5 

14.62 

36.18 

39  21 

9.99 

2.43 

1 .49 

10719 

Dry 

42.38 

45.92 

11.70 

2.85 

1 .74 

12555 

14465 

5342 

0728 

8/12 

Fulton 

5 

13.66 

38 . 46 

37 . 06 

10.82 

3.64 

1  .26 

10689 

C32 

Dry 

44 . 54 

42.92 

12.54 

4.22 

1 .46 

12379 

14462 

5343 

0728 

8/12 

Fulton . 

5 

14.53 

37.46 

38.35 

9.66 

3  18 

1  .60 

10804 

C32 

Dry 

43.83 

44.87 

11  .30 

3.72 

1.87 

12641 

14525 

5344 

0728 

8/12 

Fulton  . 

5 

15.80 

35.84 

37.67 

10.69 

3.00 

1 .79 

10460 

C32 

Dry 

42.56 

44 .  l  4 

12.70 

3.57 

2  12 

12423 

14520 

5292 

0811 

8/12 

Fulton 

5 

17  39 

37.00 

35 . 69 

9.92 

2.74 

1 .14 

10273 

C28 

Dry 

44.79 

43.20 

12.01 

3.28 

1  .36 

12435 

14416 

5295 

0811 

8/12 

Fulton 

5 

16  33 

36  27 

36 . 58 

10.82 

3.40 

1  .94 

10246 

C28 

Dry 

43.34 

43.72 

19 

4.06 

2.32 

12247 

14371 

5299 

0811 

8/12 

Fulton . 

5 

16.33 

36.75 

38.02 

8.90 

2.59 

1 .02 

10604 

C28 

Dry 

43.92 

45.44 

10.64 

3.10 

1  .22 

12674 

14421 

12436 

0814 

4/21 

Fulton 

5 

15.88 

33  .96 

38.75 

11  41 

4.38 

.92 

10330 

Dry 

40.37 

46.07 

13.56 

5.21 

1.10 

12280 

14569 

12437 

0814 

4/21 

Fulton 

5 

16  68 

35  46 

37.90 

9.96 

3  82 

.61 

10464 

Dry 

42.56 

45.49 

11.95 

4.58 

.74 

12559 

14579 

12438 

0814 

4/21 

Fulton 

5 

14.53 

35.68 

38  .23 

11  .56 

3.45 

1  .00 

10608 

Dry 

41 .74 

44.73 

13.53 

4.04 

1.17 

12411 

14679 

1404 

0832 

4  /08 

Fulton 

5 

15  09 

35.39 

38  89 

10.63 

3.21 

10573 

Dry 

41  .68 

45.80 

12.52 

3.79 

12450 

14447 

5283 

1116 

8/12 

Fulton 

5 

15.18 

37.17 

35.17 

12.48 

3.45 

1  .70 

10201 

C31 

Dry 

43.82 

41 .45 

14.73 

4.07 

2.00 

12026 

14441 

CHEMICAL  VALUE  OF  COALS 


49 


Table  3 — Analyses  of  mine  samples  from  District  IV — Continued 


O 

d 

£ 

File  No.  (b 

Date  of  analysis  (c 

County 

Coal  bed 

Proxi 
1st:  4 

2nd: 

c 

s- 

05 

i 

mate  an 
‘As  reed 
moistui 
“Dry”  o 

V  u 

Ci 

— —  £3 

>  2 

alysis  of 
with 

re. 

r  moistu 

£  2 

*-2 

coal 

total 

re  free. 

-C 

03 

< 

Sulphur 

N 

/-s 

U 

4-3 

/■Ti 

Unit  coal 

5284 

1116 

8/12 

Fulton . 

5 

16.94 

35.68 

37 . 1  5 

10.23 

2  .98 

1  .31 

10314 

C31 

Dry 

42.95 

44.73 

12.32 

3.59 

1 . 57 

12418 

14446 

5285 

1116 

8/12 

Fulton . 

5 

18.42 

34.98 

37.66 

8  94 

2.33 

.86 

10270 

C31 

Dry 

42.88 

46.15 

10.97 

2.85 

1.06 

12587 

14371 

5296 

1116 

8/12 

Fulton . 

5 

16.82 

37.28 

33.45 

12.45 

2.84 

1  .69 

10580 

C31 

Dry 

44.81 

40.23 

14.96 

3.42 

2.02 

12038 

14479 

5298 

1116 

8/12 

Fulton  . 

5 

16.52 

37.17 

36 . 54 

9  .77 

3  .91 

.81 

10394 

C31 

Dry 

44.52 

43.78 

11 .70 

4.69 

.97 

12451 

14409 

5341 

1116 

8/12 

Fulton . 

5 

17.37 

35.71 

37.86 

9.06 

2.34 

1  .14 

10420 

C31 

Dry 

43.22 

45.82 

10.96 

2.83 

1  .38 

12610 

14398 

1856 

1217a 

9/08 

Fulton . 

5 

15.44 

35 . 88 

38.35 

10.33 

3 . 52 

10711 

Dry 

42.42 

45.36 

12  .22 

4.17 

12666 

14673 

4387 

1220 

8/11 

Fulton . 

5 

12.03 

36  30 

39 . 67 

12.00 

3.35 

.72 

10779 

Dry 

41  27 

45.08 

13.65 

3.81 

.82 

12254 

14652 

4388 

1220 

8/11 

Fulton . 

5 

14.04 

36.14 

39 . 28 

10  54 

3.46 

.56 

10721 

Dry 

42.04 

45.69 

12.27 

4.02 

.65 

12472 

14627 

2651 

1220a 

8/09 

Fulton _ _ 

5 

14.35 

34.48 

36.98 

14.19 

4.44 

10324 

Dry 

40.25 

43.18 

16.57 

5.19 

12053 

14771 

1796 

0521 

9/08 

Knox  (fl . 

5? 

14 . 55 

38  25 

40  37 

6.83 

4.31 

1 1207 

Dry 

44.75 

47.26 

7.99 

5 . 05 

13113 

14528 

1797 

0521 

9/08 

K  nox . 

5? 

14.54 

37.73 

40.57 

7.16 

4.47 

1 1 187 

Dry 

44.15 

47  .46 

8.39 

5.24 

13090 

14578 

1798 

1132 

9/08 

Knox . 

5? 

14.45 

36  74 

38.76 

10.05 

2  .23 

10820 

Dry 

42.95 

45.31 

11  .74 

2.60 

12645 

14475 

2769 

0622 

Knox . . 

6? 

17.94 

33 . 99 

39 . 47 

8  60 

2.60 

10367 

Dry 

48.10 

41  .42 

10.48 

3.16 

12632 

14353 

2756 

1 336 

Knox . 

D 

13.30 

41  17 

38 . 85 

6 . 68 

3.15 

1 1 603 

Dry 

47 . 85 

44.81 

7 .71 

3.63 

. 

13383 

14721 

5263 

0730 

8/12 

Logan . . 

5 

1 4 . 64 

37.87 

35 . 56 

1 1  93 

3 . 60 

1  .10 

10400 

C33 

Dry 

44.36 

41  .66 

13.98 

4.22 

1  .28 

12183 

14497 

5264 

0730 

8/12 

Logan  .  . 

5 

13  98 

36  86 

37.98 

11.18 

3 .14 

1  .43 

10549 

C33 

Dry 

42  .84 

44.16 

13.00 

3.65 

1  67 

12264 

14391 

5265 

0730 

8/12 

Logan.  . . 

5 

1 3 . 99 

36 . 85 

38.17 

10.99 

3  .26 

1  .32 

10519 

C33 

Dry 

42 . 85 

44 . 37 

12.78 

3.79 

1  . 53 

12230 

14313 

US  288  ]<• 

0730 

Logan 

5 

1 4 . 77 

32 . 90 

39.75 

1 2 . 58 

3 . 95 

10406 

US  2882r 

0730 

Logan.  . 

5 

1 5 . 52 

32 . 27 

39  86 

12.35 

3 . 65 

US  3003* 

0730 

Logan.  . 

5 

1 5 . 68 

32 . 4 1 

39 . 82 

12.09 

3.51 

10215 

720 

0730 

9/07 

I.ogan  . 

5 

1 4  80 

11.76 

3  .03 

10586 

I  )ry 

1 3 . 8 1 

3 . 56 

1 2426 

14626 

1 889 

1514 

10/08 

Loga n . 

5 

1  1  83 

36  45 

40 . 92 

10.80 

2 . 98 

10912 

Dry 

41  33 

46 . 42 

12.25 

3  38 

12376 

14261 

d)  The  Knox  County  analyses  were  not  included  in  making  the  averages  for  Table  4 
because  of  the  uncertainty  of  identification  of  the  coals  in  that  area. 

e)  IJ.  S.  Geological  Survey  Bull.  322.  p.  103.  1908. 


50 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Table  3 — Analyses  of  mine  samples  from  District  IV — Continued 


z 

'w' 

n 

z 

_o 

£ 

Date  of  analysis  (c 

County 

W 

Proximate  analysis  of  coal 

1st:  “As  reed,”  with  total 

moisture. 

2nd:  “Dry”  or  moisture  free 

U 

r* 

o 

w 

u 

CC 

Unit  coal 

U 

1 

— 

Volatile 

matter 

Fixed 

carbon 

< 

5426 

1905 

8/12 

McLean . 

2 

10  13 

45 . 00 

35.92 

8.95 

3.27 

.74 

11710 

C100 

Dry 

50 . 07 

39.97 

9.96 

3.59 

.82 

13029 

14723 

5427 

1905 

8/12 

McLean.. . 

2 

11  34 

40.05 

39  18 

9.43 

3.18 

.90 

11394 

C100 

Dry 

45.17 

44.19 

10.64 

3.58 

1 .01 

12851 

14643 

5428 

1905 

8/12 

McLean _ ... 

2 

10.61 

41  .87 

35.94 

1 1  58 

3.79 

.92 

11225 

C100 

Dry 

46.84 

40.21 

12.95 

4.24 

1 .03 

12557 

14752 

5429 

1905 

8/12 

McLean . 

2 

12.31 

42.17 

38 . 03 

7.49 

2.69 

.94 

11636 

C100 

Dry 

48.09 

43.37 

8.54 

3.07 

1 .07 

13270 

14722 

5430 

1905 

8/12 

McLean. . 

2 

12.00 

42.00 

37.96 

8.04 

2.37 

1  .23 

11634 

C100 

Dry 

47.73 

43.14 

9.13 

2.70 

1  .40 

13220 

14759 

5433 

1905 

8/12 

McLean . 

2 

11  27 

42.17 

39  .27 

7.29 

2.91 

1.12 

11784 

C100 

Dry 

47.53 

44.25 

8.22 

3.28 

1  .26 

13279 

14684 

1748 

1905 

8/08 

McLean 

2 

12.02 

40  86 

38  .21 

8.91 

2.96 

11419 

Dry 

46.44 

43  43 

10.13 

3.36 

12980 

14635 

1749 

1905 

8/08 

McLean 

2 

12.56 

39  44 

35.70 

12.30 

4.15 

10754 

Dry 

45.10 

40.84 

14.06 

4.74 

12299 

14591 

US  3044f 

0100 

McLean . 

5 

10.25 

35.88 

40 .11 

13.76 

2.80 

11149 

US  3045f 

0100 

McLean 

5 

9.88 

35.99 

38.22 

15.91 

3.15 

5431 

1905 

8/12 

McLean... 

5 

12.88 

38 . 84 

35 . 80 

12.48 

3.60 

1  17 

10601 

C100 

Dry 

44.58 

41 .09 

14.33 

4.14 

1  .35 

12168 

14544 

5432 

1905 

8/12 

McLean 

o 

13.34 

38.39 

36.72 

11  .55 

3.59 

1  .31 

10743 

C100 

Dry 

44.30 

42.37 

13.33 

4.14 

1  .51 

12397 

14629 

5434 

1905 

8/12 

McLean 

5 

13.73 

36.79 

36.14 

13.34 

3.99 

1 .19 

10399 

C100 

Dry 

42.64 

41.89 

15.47 

4.62 

1  .30 

12054 

14639 

1847 

1103 

9/08 

McLean 

6? 

14.15 

37.00 

37  .23 

11.62 

2.42 

10719 

Dry 

43.08 

43.38 

13.54 

2.82 

12485 

14607 

5200 

1114 

7/12 

Macon 

5 

13.52 

36.72 

39.66 

10.10 

4.23 

.09 

10646 

C42 

Dry 

42.46 

45.86 

11  .68 

4.95 

.11 

12443 

14405 

5201 

1114 

7/12 

Macon  .  . 

5 

13.62 

37.72 

40.34 

8.32 

3.39 

.00 

11046 

C42 

Dry 

43.68 

46.70 

9.62 

3.93 

.00 

12788 

14403 

5202 

1 1 14 

7/12 

Macon 

5 

14  36 

38  06 

39  35 

9 . 33 

3  87 

.19 

10963 

C42 

Dry 

43.88 

45.37 

10.75 

4.46 

.22 

12638 

14447 

1 569a 

1114 

6/08 

Macon 

5 

13  91 

37.00 

39.33 

9.76 

3.29 

10804 

Dry 

42  95 

45  72 

11  33 

3  82 

12549 

5244 

W 1 2 1 2 

7/12 

Macon 

5 

14  76 

35  46 

38.08 

11.70 

3.24 

.90 

10390 

C41 

Dry 

41  .60 

44.67 

13.73 

3.81 

1  .06 

12189 

14443 

5245 

W1212 

7/12 

Macon 

5 

14.54 

36.33 

38.01 

11.12 

3.47 

.68 

10465 

C41 

Dry 

42.51 

44.47 

13.01 

4.06 

.79 

12244 

14385 

5346 

VY1212 

7/12 

Macon 

5 

14  14 

36  21 

38.07 

11 .58 

3.24 

1  .12 

10493 

C41 

Dry 

42.18 

44.34 

13.48 

3.77 

1  .31 

12210 

14433 

1874 

W1212 

10/08 

Macon . 

5 

14  07 

37  10 

36  66 

10  17 

3  68 

10780 

Dry 

43.19 

43.99 

11.82 

4.28 

12545 

14470 

f  )  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  Bull.  22,  Part  I,  p.  85,  1913. 


CHEMICAL  VALUE  OF  COALS 


51 


Table  3 — Analyses  of  mine  samples  from  District  IV — Continued 


6 

z 

File  No.  (b 

Date  of  analysis  (° 

County 

Coal  bed 

Proximate  analysis  of  coal 

1st:  “As  reed,”  with  total 
moisture. 

2nd:  “Dry”  or  moisture  free. 

Sulphur 

O 

u 

B.  t.  u. 

Unit  coal 

Moisture 

Volatile 

matter 

Fixed 

carbon 

& 

< 

2804 

1332 

12/09 

Macon . . 

6 

15.42 

39.68 

44.05 

10.85 

4.25 

11814 

Dry 

41  .96 

46.57 

11.47 

4.50 

12492 

14396 

1411 

1814 

4/08 

Peoria . . . 

2 

12.05 

40.49 

37.88 

9.58 

3.94 

11316 

Dry 

46.03 

43.07 

10.90 

4.48 

12866 

14698 

1409 

1224 

4/08 

Peoria . . 

5 

13.45 

34.81 

37.32 

14.42 

3  .09 

10398 

Dry 

40.22 

43.12 

16.66 

3.58 

12014 

14636 

US22982? 

1510 

Peoria . . 

5 

15  .03 

34.56 

39 .05 

11  .36 

2.64 

10490 

US22983? 

1510 

Peoria . . . 

5 

15.41 

33.87 

38.85 

11  .87 

2 .88 

10386 

US22984? 

1510 

Peoria... . 

5 

15.51 

34.77 

38.68 

11.03 

2.62 

10489 

US22985? 

1510 

Peoria . 

5 

15.57 

34.08 

38.18 

12.17 

3.42 

10283 

5289 

1610 

8/12 

Peoria.... . 

5 

14.23 

36  65 

37.04 

12.08 

3  39 

1  55 

10483 

C25 

Dry 

42.73 

43 . 18 

14.09 

3.96 

1 .81 

12220 

14553 

5290 

1610 

8/12 

Peoria... _ _ 

5 

14.54 

37.41 

37.32 

10.73 

3  .27 

1 .18 

10705 

C25 

Dry 

43.77 

43.67 

12.56 

3.82 

1 .38 

12526 

14625 

5291 

1610 

8/12 

Peoria . . 

5 

16.00 

36.46 

37.28 

10  .26 

3  65 

.90 

10583 

C25 

Dry 

43.41 

44.38 

12.21 

4.35 

1  .07 

12598 

14664 

2642 

1610 

7/09 

Peoria... . . 

5 

16  16 

35.41 

39.52 

8.91 

2 .38 

10895 

Dry 

42.23 

47.14 

10.63 

2.84 

12995 

14644 

1410 

1610 

4/08 

Peoria . . 

5 

14.73 

35.92 

36 . 74 

12.61 

3.38 

10451 

Dry 

42 . 13 

43.09 

14.78 

3.97 

12257 

14619 

5303 

1612 

8/12 

Peoria . . 

5 

16.00 

36.06 

37 . 54 

1 0 . 40 

2 . 90 

l  .27 

10515 

C26 

Dry 

42.93 

44.69 

12.38 

3.46 

1.51 

12518 

14773 

5304 

1612 

8/12 

Peoria . . . 

5 

14.23 

37.41 

37  . 36 

1 1  . 00 

3  14 

2 .17 

10573 

C26 

Dry 

43.62 

43.56 

12.82 

3.66 

2.53 

12327 

14433 

5305 

1612 

8/12 

Peoria . 

r* 

.) 

14.76 

35  95 

35  .34 

13  95 

3  19 

2 . 00 

10173 

C26 

Dry 

42 .18 

41.46 

16.36 

3.74 

2.34 

11935 

14636 

US210328 

1626 

Peoria . 

5 

15.66 

34  74 

40  38 

0  99 

2  64 

10798 

US21033S 

1626 

Peoria . 

5 

15.38 

34  51 

39  48 

10  63 

2  75 

1 0645 

US21034K 

1626 

Peoria . 

5 

15.34 

34.25 

40 . 80 

9  61 

3.11 

10741 

1403 

1626 

4/08 

Peoria . 

5 

14.29 

34 . 79 

37.67 

13  .25 

2.71 

10365 

Dry 

40.60 

43.94 

15.46 

3.16 

12094 

14493 

2644 

1814 

8/09 

Peoria . 

3 

15.41 

35 . 33 

38 . 57 

10  69 

3  60 

10677 

Dry 

41  .77 

45 . 59 

12.64 

4.25 

. 

12622 

14697 

2643 

1926 

8/09 

Peoria . 

5? 

15.34 

34 . 92 

37  .62 

12 .12 

2 .85 

10497 

Dry 

41 .25 

44 . 44 

14.31 

3.37 

. 

1 2385 

14685 

2637 

0424 

7/09 

Peoria . 

6 

17.16 

35  .66 

38  1  I 

9.07 

2.78 

1 0465 

Dry 

43.05 

46 . 00 

10.95 

3.36 

12633 

14371 

2640 

0103 

7/09 

Peoria . 

7 

1 4 . 54 

34  .01 

37  .07 

1  1  38 

3  05 

1 0 1 55 

Dry 

39.79 

43 . 38 

16.83 

3.57 

11881 

14493 

{?)  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  Bull  123,  p.  35,  1918. 


52 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Table  3 — Analyses  of  mine  samples  from  District  IV — Continued 


z 

'w' 

z 

Jh 

Date  of  analysis  (<! 

— 

County 

Proxii 
1st:  “ 

2nd: 

U 

i 

aiate  ana 
As  reed, 
moistur 
‘Dry”  oi 

J*  t- 

>  2 

ilysis  of 
with  t 
e. 

moistur 

.*■£ 
fc  « 

;oal 

otal 

e  free. 

00 

< 

Sulphur 

U 

Unit  coal 

5187 

0317 

7/12 

Sangamon . . 

5 

I 

14.82 

37.18 

38.22 

9  78 

4.30 

.72 

10683 

C40 

Dry 

43 . 65 

44.87 

11.48 

4.52 

.84 

12541 

14483 

5188 

0317 

7/12 

Sangamon . 

5 

16  05 

35 . 58 

38  04 

10.33 

4.18 

17 

10113 

C40 

Dry 

42.38 

45.32 

12.30 

4.98 

20 

12404 

14476 

5 1 80 

0317 

7/12 

Sangamon _ 

5 

14.31 

37.31 

38.20 

10.18 

4.21 

90 

10655 

C40 

Dry 

43.54 

44.58 

11.88 

4.91 

1  .05 

12434 

14251 

5166 

0436 

7/12 

Sangamon . 

5 

13.38 

37  20 

36.40 

13  01 

4.78 

96 

10338 

C39 

Dry 

42.95 

42.03 

15.02 

5 . 52 

1  10 

11934 

14439 

51 67 

0436 

7/12 

Sangamon _ 

5 

13.35 

36  64 

37.12 

12.89 

4.80 

.84 

10348 

C39 

Dry 

42.27 

42.85 

14.88 

5 . 53 

.97 

11942 

14423 

5168 

0436 

7/12 

Sangamon _ 

5 

13.19 

38  44 

36.47 

11  90 

4  61 

1  .05 

10513 

C39 

Dry 

44  28 

42  .00 

13  72 

5.31 

1 .20 

12110 

14397 

5128 

0913 

7/12 

Sangamon _ 

5 

14.08 

37.38 

37 . 56 

10.98 

3.97 

.33 

9471 

C37 

Dry 

43.51 

43.71 

12.78 

5 . 1 1 

.49 

12337 

14492 

5129 

0913 

7/12 

Sangamon 

5 

13.86 

37.11 

39.05 

9.98 

2.57 

.52 

10726 

C37 

Dry 

43.08 

45.34 

11.58 

4.07 

.61 

12451 

14365 

5118 

1010 

7/12 

Sangamon 

5 

16  05 

35 . 82 

37.14 

10.99 

3 . 55 

.67 

10330 

C36 

Dry 

42.66 

44.25 

13.09 

4.22 

.80 

12306 

14476 

5119 

1010 

7/12 

Sangamon 

5 

15 . 53 

36  36 

38.05 

10.06 

3.86 

.  55 

10522 

C36 

Dry 

43.04 

45  .05 

11 .91 

4 . 57 

.  66 

12457 

14450 

5120 

1010 

7/12 

Sangamon 

5 

14.45 

37.46 

38.27 

9  82 

3.59 

.  55 

10704 

C36 

Dry 

43.79 

44.73 

11.48 

4.19 

.65 

12512 

14423 

5196 

1503 

7/12 

Sangamon 

5 

14.25 

37  25 

37.07 

11.43 

4.76 

.98 

10414 

C38 

Dry 

43.44 

43.24 

13  32 

5 . 55 

1.15 

12147 

14381 

5197 

1503 

7/12 

Sangamon 

5 

14  10 

38  74 

37.66 

9.50 

3  86 

.75 

10790 

C38 

Dry 

45.09 

43.85 

11.06 

4.50 

.87 

12564 

14415 

5198 

1503 

7/12 

Sangamon 

5 

14.44 

38.22 

37.68 

9.66 

3.79 

.63 

10746 

C38 

Dry 

44.67 

44.04 

11  .29 

4.43 

.73 

12549 

14435 

5199 

1503 

7/12 

Sangamon 

5 

14  .08 

38.05 

35.30 

12.57 

5  87 

.60 

10228 

C38 

Dry 

44.28 

41 .09 

14.63 

6.83 

.69 

11903 

14366 

5130 

2421 

7/12 

Sangamon 

6 

15  22 

38  23 

37.36 

9.19 

4.38 

.38 

10579 

C74 

Dry 

45.09 

44.07 

10.84 

5 . 17 

.45 

12478 

14301 

5131 

2421 

7/12 

Sangamon . . 

6 

13.10 

38.86 

37.25 

10.79 

5.08 

.41 

10592 

C74 

Dry 

44.72 

42.86 

12.42 

5.86 

.47 

12187 

14268 

5132 

2421 

7/12 

Sangamon . 

6 

14.43 

38.14 

37.07 

10.36 

4.77 

.40 

10495 

C74 

Dry 

44.58 

43.32 

12.10 

5 . 58 

.47 

12265 

14292 

5115 

9515 

8/19 

Sangamon 

6 

14.97 

36  90 

38.36 

9  .77 

3.53 

.59 

10598 

C75 

Dry 

43.39 

45.12 

11.49 

4.16 

.67 

12466 

14361 

5116 

2515 

8/12 

Sangamon . . 

6 

14.51 

1  37.60 

39.69 

8.20 

3.44 

.22 

10911 

C75 

Dry 

43.98 

46.43 

9.59 

4.02 

.25 

12763 

14373 

5117 

2515 

8/12 

Sangamon . . 

6 

12.98 

38.23 

i  38.92 

9.87 

4.32 

.56 

10845 

C75 

Dry 

43.94 

44.72 

11  .34 

4.96 

.  65 

12463 

14368 

CHEMICAL  VALUE  OF  COALS 


53 


Table  3. — Analyses  of  mine  samples  from  District  IV — Concluded 


r< 

w 

0 

z 

1 

JD 

fa 

Date  of  analysis  (c 

County 

6 

Proxi 
1st:  ‘ 

2nd: 

o 

u 

09 

0 

£ 

mate  anr 
As  reed, 
moistur 
“Dry”  o 

— 

>  s 

dysis  of 
with  t 
e. 

r  moistu 

.§-£ 

^  o 

coal 

otal 

re  free 

05 

< 

Sulphur 

U 

w 

Unit  coal 

9708 

0136 

11/16 

Schuyler  . 

2 

12.73 

37 . 56 

41  .88 

7.83 

4.77 

11621 

Dry 

43.04 

47.99 

8.97 

5.46 

13316 

14924 

9709 

0136 

11/16 

Schuyler . . 

2 

12.34 

38.11 

42.29 

7.26 

4.32 

11841 

Dry 

43.48 

48  24 

8.28 

4.92 

13507 

15011 

1812 

0819 

9/08 

Schuyler . 

6 

12.99 

37.28 

38.62 

11.11 

3  .75 

11057 

Dry 

42.84 

44.40 

12.76 

4.31 

12709 

14827 

5277 

0906a 

7/12 

Tazewell . . 

5 

14.71 

37.46 

38.57 

10  26 

3.51 

1  15 

10801 

C27 

Dry 

40.06 

44.03 

11  91 

4.07 

1  .33 

12516 

14500 

5278 

0906a 

7/12 

Tazewell  . 

5 

13.88 

37.58 

40.01 

8.53 

2 .55 

.95 

11076 

C27 

Dry 

43.64 

46  .45 

9.91 

2.96 

1 .10 

12860 

14499 

5281 

0906a 

8/12 

Tazewell  _ 

5 

15 .56 

37.60 

36 . 70 

10  14 

3.23 

1  .50 

1 0552 

C27 

Dry 

44.53 

43.46 

12.01 

3.83 

1.78 

12496 

14488 

1412 

0407 

4/08 

Tazewell . 

6 

14.30 

36.74 

39.11 

9.85 

3  34 

10875 

Dry 

42.87 

45 . 64 

11  .49 

3.90 

12690 

14562 

1413 

0906a 

4/08 

Tazewell 

6 

14.35 

36  95 

38.04 

10.66 

3  02 

10709 

Dry 

43.14 

44.41 

12.45 

3  53 

12504 

14482 

a)  The  analyses  that  have  “US”  laboratory  numbers  were  made  by  either  the  LT.  S. 

Bureau  of  Mines  or  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  as  indicated  in  following  footnotes  which 

make  reference  to  their  place  of  publication. 

b)  Analyses  having'  the  same  file  number  are  for  a  single  mine.  It  should  be  re¬ 
membered  that  as  much  dependence  can  not  be  placed  on  a  single  analysis  from  a  given 
mine  as  may  be  placed  on  a  group  from  one  mine. 

Analyses  having  “C”  file  numbers  are  republished  from  State  Geological  Survey 
Bulletin  29,  and  Illinois  Mining  Investigations  Bulletin  3,  and  belong  to  a  series  made  by 

J.  M.  Lindgren  under  the  general  supervision  of  Professor  S.  W.  Parr  of  the  Univer¬ 

sity  of  Illinois,  for  those  bulletins. 

c)  The  Fulton  County  analyses  that  have  April,  1921,  as  the  date  of  analysis,  were 
made  on  samples  collected  by  or  under  the  supervision  of  H.  E.  Culver  of  the  Survey 

staff. 


54 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Table  4. — Average  analytical  and  heat  values  for  No.  I,  No.  2,  No.  5,  No.  6  and  No.  7  coals 

by  counties  and  for  the  district 


No.  of  analyses 

GO 

c 

c 

Proximate  analysis  of  coal 

1st:  “As  red,”  with  total 
moisture. 

2nd:  “Dry”  or  moisture  free 

u 

"3 

E 

0 

6 

Z 

County 

-C 

6 

Moisture 

Volatile 

matter 

Fixed 

carbon 

Ash 

Sulphi 

** 

O 

u 

B.  t.  t 

o 

£ 

NO.  l  COAL 


3 

1 

Christian . 

1 

11.31 

Dry 

38.89 

43.85 

40.94 

46.16 

8.86 

9.99 

2.35 

2.65 

.64 

.72 

11603 

13081 

14717 

4 

1 

Fulton... . 

1 

12.71 

Dry 

38.19 

43.77 

39.79 

45.61 

9.31 

10.62 

4.70 

5.37 

.62 

.70 

11387 

13052 

14939 

7 

2 

Average . 

1 

12.11 

Dry 

38.49 

43.80 

40.29 

45.84 

9.12 

10.35 

3.69 

4.20 

.63 

.71 

11479 

13065 

14844 

NO.  2  COAL 


4 

1 

Christian . 

2 

12.61 

38.39 

41 .43 

7.42 

3.32 

.21 

11601 

Dry 

44.11 

47.41 

8.48 

3.80 

.24 

14276 

14746 

1 

1 

Fulton . . . 

2 

14.87 

35.80 

43  .88 

5.45 

11641 

Dry 

42.06 

51.54 

6.40 

3.69 

13674 

14083 

8 

1 

McLean . 

2 

11.53 

41  .45 

37.53 

9.25 

3.17 

.98 

11445 

Dry 

47.12 

42.43 

10.45 

3.57 

1.10 

12936 

14686 

1 

1 

Peoria . . . 

2 

12.05 

40.49 

37.88 

9.58 

3.94 

11316 

Dry 

46.03 

43.07 

10.90 

4.48 

12866 

14698 

2 

1 

Schuyler . 

2 

12.54 

37.81 

42.09 

7.55 

4.55 

11731 

Dry 

43.26 

48.12 

8.63 

5.19 

13412 

14968 

16 

5 

Average . 

2 

12.16 

39.92 

39.49 

8.36 

3.44 

.72 

11524 

Dry 

45.50 

44.99 

9.50 

3.89 

.81 

13122 

14701 

NO.  5  COAL 


48 

14 

Fulton . . . 

5 

15.36 

35.04 

38.00 

10.90 

3.13 

1 .48 

10421 

Dry 

41 .95 

44.90 

13.14 

3.68 

1.70 

12295 

14465 

8 

2 

Loga  n . 

5 

14. 4C 

35.09 

38.87 

11  .71 

3.39 

1 .28 

10512 

Dry 

42.85 

44.15 

13.16 

3.72 

1.49 

12296 

14418 

5 

McLean . . . . . . 

5 

12.02 

37.18 

37.40 

13.41 

3.43 

1.22 

10723 

Dry 

43.84 

41 .78 

14.38 

4.30 

1.39 

12206 

14572 

8 

2 

Macon . . . 

5 

14.14 

36.83 

38.69 

10.26 

3.55 

.50 

10698 

Dry 

42.56 

45.14 

11.93 

4.14 

.58 

12451 

14427 

18 

6 

Peoria . 

5 

15.09 

35.39 

38.17 

11.34 

3.04 

1 .51 

10536 

Dry 

42.33 

43 . 98 

13.69 

3.71 

1.77 

12372 

14616 

15 

5 

Sangamon 

5 

14.35 

37.30 

37.57 

10.78 

4.16 

.59 

10555 

Dry 

43.55 

43.86 

12.59 

4.86 

.69 

12323 

14415 

3 

1 

Tazewell  .... 

5 

14.72 

37.55 

38.43 

9.64 

3.09 

1.20 

10810 

Dry 

42.74 

44.65 

11.28 

3.62 

1.40 

12624 

14496 

105 

37 

Average  . 

5 

14.83 

35.73 

38.05 

11  .07 

3.33 

1 .24 

10497 

Dry 

42.43 

44.49 

13.01 

3.95 

1.43 

12326 

14474 

CHEMICAL  VALUE  OF  COALS 


55 


Table  4 — Concluded 


Proximate  analysis  of  coal 

<Z> 

© 

1st:  “ 

As  reed. 

”  with  total 

moisture. 

CO 

>> 

CO 

© 

© 

2nd: 

‘Dry”  or  moisture  free. 

u 

CO 

Cm 

Cm 

County 

•M 

© 

t- 

3 

-2 

n:  a? 

-2* 

co» 

© 

0 

0 

6 

— 

yj 

©  X 

X  -f 

* 

C/j 

p 

6 

6 

"o 

^  cC 

< 

Z 

Z 

§ 

>  s 

*  « 

NO.  6  COAL 


Macon  .. 

6 

15.42 

39 . 68 

44.05 

10.85 

4.25 

1 1814 

Dry 

41  .96 

46 . 57 

11.47 

4.50 

12492 

14396 

Peoria  . 

6 

17.16 

35 . 66 

38.11 

9.07 

2 ,7P 

10465 

Dry 

43.05 

46.00 

10.95 

3.36 

12633 

14371 

Sangamon . 

6 

14.20 

37.99 

38.11 

9.70 

4.26 

.42 

10671 

Dry 

44.28 

44.42 

11.30 

4.96 

.49 

12437 

14329 

Schuyler . . . 

6 

12.99 

37  .28 

38.62 

11.11 

3 . 75 

11057 

Dry 

42 . 84 

44 . 40 

12.76 

4.31 

12709 

14827 

Tazewell  .  . 

6 

14.33 

36 . 85 

38.58 

10  .26 

3.18 

10297 

Dry 

43.01 

45.03 

11 .97 

3.72 

12597 

14522 

Average . 

6 

14.49 

37.66 

38.78 

9.97 

3.88 

.42 

10813 

Dry 

43 . 60 

44.87 

11.54 

4.49 

.49 

12514 

14418 

NO.  7  COAL 


1 

Peoria  _  _ _ 

7 

14.54 

34.01 

37 . 07 

14.38 

3.051  _ 

10155 

Dry 

39.79 

43.38 

16  83 

3.57  . 

11881 

14493 


Table  5. — Average  analyses  of  Illinois  coals  by  districts 


56 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


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a)  The  difference  in  the  average  analysis  here  given  from  that  given  in  Table  4  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  (1)  a  somewhat 
larger  area  is  covered  by  Table  4,  and  (2)  more  analyses  have  been  used  in  arriving  at  the  Table  4  average,  some  of  them  from  the 
United  States  laboratories,  and  others  made  very  recently. 


Illinois  State  Geological  Survey 


Mining  Investigations  Bull.  26,  Plate  IV 


District  No.  1 


District  No.  2 


District  No.  3. 


District  No.  4. 


District  No.  5 


District  No.  0 


District  No.  7 


District  No.  8a 


District  No.  8b. 


AVERAGE  ANALYSIS 
Volatile  Matter  38.83 

Fixed  Carbon  37.89 

Moisture  16.18 

Sulphur  2.89 

Ash  70s 

BTU  10981 


AVERAGE  ANALYSIS 


Volatile  Matter 

33.98 

Fixed  Carbon 

51.02 

MSIsture 

9.28 

Sulphur 

1.29 

Ash 

5.72 

B.T.U 

12488 

AVERAGE  ANALYSIS 


Volatile  Matter 

33.16 

Fixed  Carbon 

39.75 

Moisture 

13.46 

Sulphur 

3.59 

Ash 

8.63 

B.T.U 

11036 

AVERAGE  ANALYSIS 


Volatile  Mailer 

36.79 

Fixed  Carbon 

37.59 

Moisture 

15.10 

Sulphur 

3.52 

Ash 

10.53 

BTU 

10514 

AVERAGE  ANALYSIS 


Volatile  Matter 

35.49 

Fixed  Carbon 

48.72 

Moisture 

6.75 

Sulphur 

2.92 

Ash 

904 

BTU 

12276 

AVERAGE  ANALYSIS 


Volatile  Matter 

34.00 

Fixed  Carbon 

48.08 

Moisture 

9.21 

Sulphur 

1.53 

Ash 

8.71 

BTU 

•  1825 

AVERAGE 

ANALYSIS 

Volatile  Matter 

38.05 

Fixed  Carbon 

39.06 

Moisture 

12.56 

Sulphur 

4.01 

Ash 

10.33 

BTU 

10847 

AVERAGE  ANALYSIS 


Volatile  Matter 

35.88 

Fixed  Carbon 

40.33 

Moisture 

14.45 

Sulphur 

2.55 

Ash 

934 

&T.U. 

10919 

AVERAGE 

ANALYSIS 

Volatile  Matter 

3339 

Fixed  Carbon 

38.75 

Moisture 

12.99 

Sulphur 

2.93 

Ash 

9.98 

B.T.U. 

11143 

o  -  *» 

§88 

O  O  o 


DISTRICTS 

1.  La  Salle  or  Lo rv g~w all. 
Coal  No.  2. 

2-  Jackson  County. 

Coal  No.  2. 

3.  Rock  Island  and 
Mercer  Counties. 
Coal  No.  1. 

4.  Springfleld-Reoria. 

Coal  No.  0. 

0.  Saline  County. 

Coal  No.  0. 

6.  Williamson  and 
Franklin  Counties. 
Coal  No.  0 

7  Southwestern 

Illinois.  West  of 
DuQuoin.  Coal  No.  0. 

8a.  Danville.  Coal  No.  0 
Grape  Creek  Bed 

Qb.  Danville.  Coal  No.  7 
Danville  Bed 


LEGEND 


Volatile  Matter 


Fixed  Carbon. 


Moisture. 


Sulphur 


Ash. 


The  projections  on  the  sides 
at  the  analysis  diagrams  show 
comparative  B.T.U.,  according 
to  scale,  measured  (rom  the  cir¬ 
cumference  ol  the  circles. 


NOTE 

On  the  diagrams  the 
sulphur  content,  usually 
considered  as  an  addition 
lo  the  proximate  analysis 
is  divided  equally  betwci  n 
fixed  carbon  and  volatile 
matter  and  overlaps 
equal  parts  of  both. 


Percentogea  refer  to 

Coal  "As  received” 


diagrams 

showing 

AVERAGE  COMPOSITION 
and 

COMPARATIVE  VALUE 
of 

ILLINOIS  COALS. 

1914 


Plate  IV. — Graphic  average  analyses  of  Illinois  coals  by  beds. 


STRUCTURE 


The  structure  of  the  several  counties  covered  by  this  report  is 
discussed  in  some  detail  by  county  units  in  Part  II.  For  the  con¬ 
venience  of  those  interested  in  the  structure  of  District  IV  as  a  whole, 
Plates  I  and  III  have  been  prepared. 

On  the  map,  Plate  I,  structure  contours  on  the  top  of  No.  5  coal 
show  the  lay  of  the  rock  in  the  area  as  closely  as  it  can  be  determined 
from  a  study  of  outcrops  and  available  drill  and  shaft  records.  The 
locations  of  all  the  active  shipping  mines  in  the  district  and  of  such 
other  mines  and  borings  as  gave  information  useful  in  the  preparation 
of  the  map,  are  also  shown,  as  well  as  the  position  of  the  outcrop  of 
No.  5  coal. 

Plate  III  consists  of  three  structure  sections,  two  approximately 
east  and  west  and  one  north  and  south  across  the  district. 

The  numbered  red  lines  on  the  map,  Plate  I,  are  structure  con¬ 
tours  on  No.  5  coal.  Any  given  contour  connects  all  known  points 
where  the  elevation  of  No.  5  coal  is  the  same  and  the  numbers  on 
the  lines  state  that  elevation.  In  Plate  I,  the  contour  interval  used 
west  of  Illinois  River  is  25  feet,  which  means  that  between  any  two 
adjacent  contours  the  coal  bed  dips  more  or  less  uniformly  from  the 
higher  elevation  to  the  lower.  East  of  the  Illinois  the  interval  is  50 
feet,  and  a  fifty-foot  change  in  elevation  from  one  contour  to  the  next 
is  implied. 

Study  of  the  structure  shown  on  the  map  shows  that  the  general 
regional  dip  is  to  the  southeast,  from  650  feet  above  sea  level  in  south- 
central  Knox  County  to  only  50  feet  above  sea  level  in  southeastern 
Mason  County. 

This  regional  dip  in  the  direction  of  the  major  synclinal  basin 
that  roughly  parallels  the  La  Salle  anticline.  In  Eastern  McLean 
County  is  found  the  only  exception  to  the  general  regional  dip — there 
the  strata  are  beginning  to  rise,  as  shown  by  the  No.  5  coal  contours, 
to  form  the  west  Hank  of  the  La  Salle  anticline. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  contours  are  more  irregular  in  Peoria, 
Fulton,  and  Sangamon  counties  than  in  the  remainder  of  the  area.  This 
difference  does  not  mean  that  in  those  counties  dips  are  more  variable 
than  they  are  elsewhere;  in  all  probability  irrgularities  of  the  same  sort 
characterize  the  whole  district,  but  outside  the  counties  mentioned, 
well  logs  and  outcrops  are  so  few  and  scattered  that  it  was  not  pos¬ 
sible  to  work  out  details  of  structure. 


57 


PART  II.— COUNTY  REPORTS 


INTRODUCTION 

The  detailed  description  of  the  geological  conditions  in  the  district 
as  affecting  mining  is  thought  to  be  most  conveniently  presented  by  the 
county  unit.  County  reports  are  therefore  presented  in  alphabetical 
order  in  the  following  pages. 

A  complete  list  of  shipping  mines  in  District  IV  for  the  year  1920 
is  given  herewith  as  table  6. 


58 


TABLE  6. — List  of  shipping  mines  in  District  IV,  19W 


INTRODUCTION 


59 


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Table  6. — List  of  shipping  mines  in  District  IV,  1920 — Continued 


60  COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


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Table  6. — List  of  shipping  mines  in  District  IV,  1920 — Concluded 


INTRODUCTION 


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CASS  COUNTY 


Production  and  Mines 


Production  in  tons,  year  ended  June  30,  1920 .  4,233 

Average  annual  production,  1916  to  1920 .  1,858 

Total  production,  1881  to  1920 . 155,785 


The  production  in  1920  came  from  four  local  mines,  two  along 
the  Illinois  valley  bluff  near  Beardstown,  one  at  Chandlerville,  and 
one  at  Ashland.  These  mines  are  all  small,  so  that  the  resources  of  this 
county  are  essentially  untouched. 

Coal-bearing  Rocks 

All  of  Cass  County  is  underlain  by  “Coal  Measures”  strata  ex¬ 
cept  for  the  area  between  Illinois  River  and  its  valley  bluff,  and  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  Sangamon  valley,  below  Chandlerville,  where  the 
“Coal  Measures”  have  been  entirely  eroded,  so  as  to  expose  the  under¬ 
lying  Mississippian  limestone. 

Since  the  line  of  outcrop  of  No.  5  coal  nearly  coincides  with  the 
eastern  boundary  of  the  county,  it  is  believed  that  most  of  the  area 
is  underlain  by  Pennsylvanian  strata  older  than  No.  5  coal,  that  is  by 
strata  of  lower  Carbondale  and  Pottsville  age.  These  formations 
contain  at  least  one  and  probably  two  beds  of  coal  neither  of  which, 
apparently,  is  more  than  three  feet  thick.  The  most  widespread  of 
these  coals  is  the  No.  2  (Colchester,  Murphysboro,  or  La  Salle  “Third 
Vein”)  coal  which  outcrops'  along  the  Illinois  and  Sangamon  valley 
bluffs  between  Bluff  Springs  and  Chandlerville,  and  has  been  mined 
at  Virginia  at  a  depth  of  about  200.  It  is  probably  this  same  bed 
which  at  one  time  was  mined  at  Ashland  at  a  depth  of  205  feet.1 
As  the  identity  of  this  coal  is  not  determined,  and  as  it  may  be  younger 
than  No.  2,  it  may  be  the  same  as  a  bed  encountered  in  a  drill  hole 
just  south  of  Springfield,  between  50  and  60  feet  below  No.  5  (Spring- 
field)  coal. 

The  character  of  the  strata  with  which  the  coals  are  interbedded 
is  not  well  known.  Worthen2  reports  the  following  succession  taken 
at  an  old  shaft  near  Bluff  Springs : 


iThird  Biennial  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics,  p.  506,  1884. 
-Geological  Survey  of  Illinois.  Vol.  4.  p.  165,  1870. 

62 


CASS  COUNTY 


63 


Section  of  Pennsylvanian  strata  near  Bluff  Springs ,  Cass  County 

Thickness  Depth 
Feet  Feet 


1.  Soil  (loess)  .  15  15 

2.  Sandstone,  brownish,  with  plant  impressions .  13  28 

3.  Limestone  (‘'blue  rock”)  .  2  30 

4.  Clay  shale  (“soapstone’7)  .  12  42 

5.  Coal .  3  45 

6.  Fire  clay,  very  hard  .  4  49 


The  sandstone,  No.  2  of  the  above  section,  can  be  traced  along 
the  bluff  northeastward  nearly  to  Chandlerville,  and  it  is  present  in 
the  shaft  at  Virginia  with  a  thickness  of  70  feet,  as  may  be  noted  in  the 
following  drill  record  of  a  coal  prospect  at  that  place. 


Record  of  a  boring  for  coal  at  Virginia ,  Cass  County,  Illinois 1 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

In. 

Ft. 

In. 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Soil,  and  clay,  brown. . . . 

7 

.... 

7 

.... 

Clay,  yellow . . . 

2 

6 

9 

6 

Clay,  blue . . . . . . 

29 

8 

39 

2 

Hardpan. . .  . . 

28 

.... 

67 

2 

Forest  bed  (ancient  soil) . . . 

3 

_  _ . . 

70 

2 

Hardpan . 

44 

10 

115 

.... 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

Sandstone . 

71 

11 

186 

11 

Limestone,  hard . 

1 

1 

188 

.... 

Shale,  black . . . . . 

2 

6 

190 

6 

Shale,  clay . 

10 

3 

200 

9 

Coal  (No.  2)  (base  of  Pottsville) . 

3 

6 

204 

3 

Fire  clay . 

3 

.... 

207 

3 

Shale,  black . 

.... 

3 

207 

6 

Shale,  clay . 

7 

6 

215 

.... 

Clay,  “potter’s” . 

13 

.... 

228 

.... 

Coal .  .  ... 

.... 

2 

228 

2 

Sandstone  and  shale . 

6 

1 

234 

3 

Coal..... . 

.... 

3 

234 

6 

Sandstone  and  shale 

6 

9 

241 

3 

Coal . 

8 

241 

11 

Sandstone  and  shale 

Horizon  of 

16 

4 

258 

3 

Coal . 

r  No.  1  . 

3 

258 

6 

Sandstone . 

2 

9 

261 

3 

Coal . 

.... 

2 

261 

5 

Sandstone  and  shale . 

3 

9 

265 

2 

Clay  shale . 

4 

.... 

269 

2 

lGeological  Survey  of  Illinois,  Vol.  7,  p.  15,  1883. 


64 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Record  of  a  boring  for  coal  at  Virginia,  Cass  County — Concluded 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

De 

pth 

Sandstone _  _ 

Ft. 

7 

in. 

5 

Ft. 

276 

in. 

6 

Rock,  hard  siliceous.  . . . 

2 

278 

7 

Clay  shale . . . . . 

2 

6 

281 

1 

Rock,  hard  siliceous . . . . 

3 

6 

284 

7 

Shale,  hard  green...  .  ..  _ 

2 

10 

287 

5 

Mississippian  system — 

St.  Louis  and  Warsaw — 

Shale,  hard  green _  _ _ _ 

2 

10 

287 

5 

Limestone . . . . . . 

9 

1 

296 

6 

Sandstone . . . . . . 

1 

8 

298 

2 

Limestone  ....  _ _ 

62 

4 

360 

6 

Sandstone  ...  _ _ 

8 

368 

6 

Limestone,  gray . 

1 

369 

6 

Sandstone  . . . 

2 

371 

6 

Limestone  .  . . . . . . . 

2 

3 

373 

9 

Sandstone  . . . . . . . 

18 

391 

9 

Keokuk — 

Clay  shale,  drab . . . . . 

6 

6 

398 

3 

Shale,  sandy  . 

5 

3 

403 

6 

Limestone,  shalv . 

4 

1 

407 

7 

Quartz  band  . . . . 

4 

407 

11 

Limestone,  shaly. . . . 

3 

8 

411 

7 

Shale,  clay .  . 

6 

412 

1 

Limestone,  shalv..  . . 

16 

9 

428 

10 

Flint  band,  vellow . . . . 

1 

428 

11 

Shale,  clay . 

3 

7 

432 

6 

Limestone,  hard  gray  . 

4 

1 

436 

7 

Limestone,  shaly . . 

6 

2  . 

442 

9 

Shale,  with  brvozoans . . . 

2 

2 

444 

11 

Limestone,  shaly . 

4 

7 

449 

6 

The  correlation  of  the  coal  mined  at  Bluff  Springs  and  Virginia 
is  based  upon  comparisons  made  by  V  orthen,1  who  points  out  the 
similarity  of  this  coal  to  the  coal  mined  and  outcropping  at  Exeter, 
Scott  County.  Observations  by  the  writer  in  Scott  County  indicate 
that  the  coal  at  Exeter  and  Alsey  is  the  same  coal  as  that  mined  near 
Roodhouse  and  Whitehall  in  Greene  County  and  at  Upper  Alton  in 
Madison  County,  and  is  to  be  correlated  with  the  No.  2  coal.  This  coal 
in  southwestern  Illinois  has  a  roof  of  black  paper-shale,  commonly 
called  “slate”  which  has  a  variable  thickness  up  to  about  20  feet;  but 
in  certain  areas,  especially  toward  the  north,  gray  shale  or  “soap¬ 
stone”  lies  between  the  coal  and  “slate.”  About  5  feet  below  the  coal 


iWorthen,  A.  H.  Geological  Survey  of  Illinois,  Vol.  4,  p.  173. 


CASS  COUNTY 


65 


is  a  bed  of  limestone  2  to  5  feet  thick,  known  locally  as  the  “sump 
rock.”  These  relationships  render  the  identification  of  the  No.  2  coal 
very  definite  throughout  the  southwestern  part  of  the  coal  basin,  so 
that  there  is  not  much  doubt  as  to  the  correlation  of  the  coal  at  Bluff 
Springs,  provided  it  is  the  same  as  the  coal  at  Exeter. 

Drp  of  the  Rocks 

In  Cass  County  the  coal-bearing  strata  dip  at  a  low  angle  to  the 
east,  at  the  rate  of  8  to  10  feet  per  mile.  Thus,  coal  which  outcrops 
along  the  bluff  east  of  Beardstown  is  at  a  depth  of  about  200  feet  at 
Virginia  and,  provided  the  coal  formerly  mined  at  Ashland  is  No.  2, 
possibly  50  feet  lower  at  Ashland.  Because  of  the  eastward  dip, 
younger  and  younger  rocks  underlie  the  glacial  material  in  that  direc¬ 
tion,  so  that  the  outcrop  of  the  No.  5  or  Springfield  coal  nearly  coin¬ 
cides  with  the  east  line  of  the  county.1  Whether  or  not  there  are  large 
irregularities  or  significant  interruptions  in  the  general  eastward  dip 
is  not  known.  In  general  it  is  believed  unlikely  that  there  are  any  ir¬ 
regularities  in  the  “lay”  of  the  coal  that  will  seriously  interfere  with 
mining. 

No.  2  Coae 

The  principal  coal  of  Cass  County  is  undoubtedly  the  No.  2  bed, 
which  underlies  all  the  county  east  of  Illinois  valley,  probably  cross¬ 
ing  the  Sangamon  valley  near  Chandlerville.  This  coal  is  commonly 
between  3  and  3^4  feet  in  thickness,  and  elsewhere  possesses  great 
regularity  in  thickness  and  in  physical  characteristics,  though  very 
little  is  known  as  to  its  physical  characteristics  in  this  county.  It  is 
probable,  however,  that  the  coal  has  the  usual  gray  shale  or  black 
“slate”  roof  found  above  No.  2  coal  in  adjacent  counties  to  the  south 
and  west,  a  description  of  which  is  given  in  some  detail  in  the  chapter 
assigned  to  the  resources  of  Fulton  County.  An  analysis  of  No.  2  coal 
made  from  a  sample  collected  in  Schuyler  County  may  also  be  found  in 
the  same  section. 

Because  this  coal  is  relatively  so  thin  and  its  area  of  outcrop  so 
small  that  mining  by  drift  or  slope  entrance  is  practicable  in  only  a 
small  part  of  the  county,  the  development  of  the  coal  resources  in  Cass 
County  is  probably  not  a  matter  of  immediate  concern.  Diamond 
drilling  should  precede  future  development,  as  the  data  available  are 
entirely  too  meager  to  justify  undertaking  mining  operations. 

As  the  rock  surface  below  the  drift  is  more  or  less  irregular,  it 
is  not  improbable  that  isolated  and  local  areas  of  No.  5  coal  may  be 

iShaw,  E.  W.,  .and  Savage,  T.  E.,  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  Geol.  Atlas: 
Tallula-Springfield  Folio  (No.  188),  Areal  geology  sheet,  1913. 


66 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


present  in  places  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  west  of  the  principal 
line  of  outcrop. 

The  correlation  of  the  coal  found  between  Ashland  and  Prentice 
in  Morgan  County,  as  shown  in  the  record  of  drilling  near  Prentice 
given  below,  is  uncertain. 


Drilling  near  Prentice,  Morgan  County 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

“Slate,”  rotten  black _ 

2 

6 

2 

6 

Coal  _ _ _ _ _ 

_ 

2 

2 

8 

Fire  clay . . . . . . . . . . 

12 

4 

15 

— 

Shale . . . . . . . . . 

1 

_ 

16 

_ 

Coal . . . . . . . . . 

.... 

2 

16 

2 

Fire  clay . . . ... . . 

1 

3 

16 

5 

Sandstone  and  shale _ _. _ _ _ 

16 

7 

34 

Shale,  with  bands  of  ironstone _ 

56 

_ 

90 

_ 

“Slate,”  black  (fossiliferous) . . . 

3 

10 

93 

10 

Sandstone,  soft..... . . . . 

15 

_ 

108 

10 

Shale _ _ 

14 

122 

10 

Limestone . . . . . . 

1 

_ 

123 

10 

“Slate” _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

2 

_ 

125 

10 

Coal  (No.  2?) . . . . 

2 

10 

128 

8 

Fire  clay  . . . 

6 

— 

134 

8 

The  stratigraphic  succession  is  more  suggestive  of  strata  asso¬ 
ciated  with  No.  2  than  with  any  other  coal,  but  such  a  correlation 
would  possibly  give  an  unusual  altitude  to  the  coal  at  this  place. 

No  analyses  of  the  coal  in  Cass  County  are  available. 


CHRISTIAN  COUNTY 


Only  the  northern  part  of  Christian  County  from  Edinburg  north¬ 
ward  is  included  in  the  area  of  this  lcport.  The  Greenwood  Coal  Com¬ 
pany  at  this  place  mines  No.  5  coal.  This  is  the  farthest  south  that  this 
coal  is  worked  in  the  central  part  of  the  State. 


Coal-bearing  Rocks 

The  geology  of  Christian  County  has  been  adequately  discussed  in 
Illinois  Mining  Investigations  Bulletin  11,  Coal  Resources  of  District 
VII,  and  no  additional  data  can  be  added  relative  to  the  coal  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  county.  However,  the  following  paragraphs  may 
fitly  be  quoted  from  Bulletin  11: 

‘‘The  coals  below  No.  6  are  lenticular  and  hence  less  easily  traceable. 
Moreover,  the  interval  between  the  beds,  especially  between  No.  5  and  No. 
6  coals,  varies  considerably  in  short  distances,  thus  adding1  to  the  difficulty 
of  correlation.  For  example,  the  interval  between  No.  6  coal  and  the  next 
lower  important  coal  varies  from  20  feet  in  the  vicinity  of  sec.  34,  T.  14 
N.,  R.  2  W.,  to  about  75  feet  in  sec.  13,  T.  13  N.,  R.  2  W.  The  lower  bed 
ranges  in  thickness  from  1  foot  to  5  feet  and  averages  3%  feet  in  eight 
diamond  drill  holes  in  the  townships  mentioned.  It  is  probable  that  it 
should  be  called  No.  5  coal  since  the  larger  interval  is  not  uncommon  in  the 
counties  south  of  Christian,  and  the  smaller  one  is  well  known  to  the  north 
as  in  the  mine  at  Mechanicsburg.  Even  at  Springfield  the  average  in¬ 
terval  between  No.  5  and  No.  6  coals  is  but  39  feet.  This  bed  tends  to 
become  thicker  toward  the  north,  and  in  secs.  13,  22,  32  and  34,  T.  14  N., 
R.  2  W.,  No.  5  and  No.  6  coals  are  of  about  equal  importance.  In  a  ma¬ 
jority  of  the  holes  the  roof  of  No.  5  coal  is  composed  of  a  few  feet  of  black 
shale  capped  by  a  thin  limestone,  this  succession  of  beds  being  the  normal 
one  in  the  Springfield  district,  where  No.  5  coal  is  mined.  Near  Edinburg 
and  Sharps  the  cap-rock  is  absent. 

“*  *  *  Three  main  horizons  appear  to  exist  below  No.  5  coal.  Owing 

to  the  lenticular  nature  of  the  coal  it  is  not  believed  that  all  three  horizons 
contain  commercial  coals  throughout  the  county.  *  *  *  The  lenticular 

character  of  (these)  coal  beds  renders  predictions  unsafe,  but  the  existence 
of  coals  that  may  prove  to  be  commercial,  as  at  Assumption,  is  highly 
probable.  With  this  in  mind  it  seems  reasonable  to  suggest  'hat  *  *  * 

a  few  holes  should  be  continued  from  250  to  300  feet  below  No.  6  coal  in 
order  to  test  all  the  possibilities  of  the  area.”1 


iKay,  Fred  H.  Coal  Resources  of  District  VII:  Illinois  Mining'  Investiga¬ 
tions  Bull.  11,  pp.  80-81,  1915. 

67 


DEWITT  COUNTY 
Introduction 

DeWitt  County  lies  across  the  trough  of  the  Illinois  coal  basin. 
It  is  the  only  county  in  District  IV  in  which  coal  has  never  been  mined, 
nor  is  coal  of  workable  thickness  definitely  known  to  underlie  it. 

Surficial  Deposits 

Special  attention  should  be  directed  to  the  excessive  thickness  of 
the  glacial  drift  which  so  effectively  covers  the  hard  rocks  in  DeWitt 
County  that  “Coal  Measures”  outcrops  are  unknown.  The  few  deep 
drillings  that  have  been  made,  records  of  which  are  reproduced  above, 
show  thicknesses  of  glacial  material  of  from  163  to  350  feet.  Lev- 
erett1  states  that  the  average  thickness  of  the  drift  is  probably  more 
than  200  feet.  The  following  data,  compiled  from  Leverett’s  report, 
will  give  some  idea  of  the  thickness  of  the  drift  at  various  places  in 
the  county. 


Thickness  of  the  drift  in  De  Witt  County 


Town 

Depth  of  Well 

Terminal  strata 

Depth  of 
rock 

Farmer  City  (city  well)  .  .  . 

.  176 

sand 

entered 

•  •  • 

Farmer  City  (coal  prospect) 

. .  . 

189 

Parnell  . 

.  200 

•  •  • 

•  •  • 

Clinton  (water  wells)  . 

.  .  .  80-100 

sand  and  gravel 

•  •  • 

Clinton  (coal  boring)  . 

.  . . 

352 

Clinton  (coal  boring)  . 

... 

270 

Clinton  (Barnett’s  gas  well,  8 
west)  . 

miles 

.  137 

sand 

Hallsville  (several  gas  wells) 

.  117-127 

sand 

. .  . 

Kenney  . 

.  291 

sand  and  gravel 

Waynesville  (city  wells) . 

.  150? 

•  •  • 

.  .  . 

Wapella  (water  wells . 

.  80-100 

till  or  sand 

•  •  • 

Maroa  (Macon  County)  . 

.  .  . 

270 

The  lower  part  of  the  drift  commonly  contains  considerable  sand 
and  gravel,  and  some  loose  sand  or  quicksand,  which  are  water-bearing 
and  therefore  sources  of  difficulty  to  be  guarded  against  in  shaft  sink¬ 
ing.  Furthermore,  buried  muck  and  peat  beds  and  associated  sands 
contain  inflammable  gas  derived  probably  from  the  muck,  and  such 
beds  would  also  probably  be  a  source  of  considerable  inconvenience 
and  risk  in  opening  mines. 

lLeverett,  Frank,  Illinois  Glacial  Lobe:  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  Mon.  38, 
p.  705,  1899. 


68 


DEWITT  COUNTY 


69 


Coal-bearing  Rocks 

As  has  been  said,  coal  of  workable  thickness  is  not  definitely 
known  to  underlie  DeWitt  County.  An  unsubstantiated  record  of  an 
old  boring  at  Farmer  City  reproduced  herewith  reports  4  feet  4  inches 
of  coal  at  564  feet  and  4  feet  9  inches  at  665  feet.  It  is  possible  that 
the  upper  of  these  coals  is  No.  7,  and  the  lower,  No.  5  ;  No.  6  being 
represented  by  a  9-inch  bed  at  606  feet.  If  the  suggested  correlations 
of  the  coal  are  correct,  it  is  possible  that  the  limestone  beds  between 
300  and  340  feet  represent  the  Carlinville  limestone. 

Record  of  drilling  at  Farmer  City,  T.  21  N.,  R  5  E.,  DeWitt  County 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Soil _ _ .  .  . . 

2 

_ _ 

2 

_ 

Clay,  yellow _ _  ...  . . 

9 

_ 

11 

Clay,  blue _ _ _ _ _ 

36 

_ 

47 

_ 

Quicksand . 

2 

_ 

49 

Clay,  blue,  and  gravel _ _ _ 

6 

_ 

55 

Clav,  blue,  and  gravel _ _ 

15 

_ 

70 

_ 

Sand  and  gravel  .  . 

40 

_ 

110 

_ 

Clay,  blue . 

6 

_ 

116 

_ 

Sand  and  gravel  .  .  . 

8 

_ 

124 

— 

Clay,  blue,  and  sand _  _ 

40 

_ 

164 

_ 

Sand  and  gravel 

10 

_ 

174 

— 

Quicksand... 

13 

187 

_ 

Clay,  blue . .  .  . 

2 

189 

.... 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

M  cLeansbo  r  o — 

Sandstone . 

4 

193 

Sand  shale. . 

11 

204 

Shale,  red . . 

2 

206 

.... 

Shale,  blue..  . . 

4 

206 

4 

Shale,  calcareous  .  . 

2 

8 

209 

____ 

Shale,  blue . 

1 

.... 

210 

.... 

Shale,  red . 

8 

218 

Shale  with  limestone  seams . 

2 

.... 

220 

Sand  shale . . 

17 

237 

_  _  _  _ 

Shale,  black 

3 

240 

.... 

Coal . 

1 

2 

241 

2 

Clay  shale.  . 

39 

6 

280 

8 

Clay  shale.  . 

8 

288 

8 

Shale,  blue . 

4 

292 

8 

Limestone . 

8 

300 

8 

Shale,  black . 

2 

.... 

302 

8 

Shale,  red  and  gray . 

9 

.... 

311 

8 

70 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Record  of  drilling  at  Farmer  City — Concluded 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Limestone.. . . 

2 

.... 

313 

8 

Sand  shale . .  . 

5 

.... 

318 

8 

Limestone... . . . 

4 

322 

8 

Shale,  blue... . . 

18 

340 

8 

Sand  shale . . . . 

10 

350 

8 

Shale  lime _  .  .  _ 

10 

360 

8 

Shale,  red _  _  _ _  _ _ 

5 

365 

8 

Shale,  red _ _ _  _ 

6 

.... 

371 

8 

Sandstone _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

16 

.... 

388 

8 

Sandstone,  soft _ _ _  _ _ 

20 

.... 

408 

8 

Shale,  red  and  gray _ _ _ 

7 

_ 

415 

8 

Sand  shale. . . . . 

22 

.... 

437 

8 

Shale,  blue . . . . . 

46 

_ 

483 

8 

Shale,  blue... . 

17 

6 

501 

2 

Coal . 

1 

.... 

502 

2 

Fire  clay . . . . . 

6 

6 

508 

8 

Shale,  gray.... _ _ _ _ 

10 

518 

8 

Sandstone _ _ _ _ 

6 

_ 

524 

8 

Sand  shale  _ _ 

7 

.... 

531 

8 

Sandstone _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

17 

548 

8 

Shale,  blue _ _ _ _ 

7 

_ 

555 

8 

Shale,  blue _  _ 

3 

_  _  _  _ 

558 

8 

Shale,  black.. . . 

1 

3 

559 

11 

Shale,  gray . . . . . . . 

2 

— 

561 

11 

Shale,  black. _ _ _ _ _ 

1 

7 

563- 

6 

Coal  (No.  7?)....... . . . 

4 

4 

567 

10 

Fire  clay _ _ _ _ 

3 

9 

571 

7 

Sandstone _ _ _  _ _ _ _ 

3 

_ 

574 

7 

Sand  shale _ _  _ _ 

6 

_ 

580 

7 

Shale,  blue .  . . . . 

15 

_ 

595 

7 

Shale,  gray _ _ _ 

4 

.... 

599 

7 

Shale,  bituminous . . . 

Carbondale — 

6 

.... 

605 

7 

Coal  (No.  6?) _ _ _ _ 

.... 

9 

606 

4 

Clay  shale _ _  _ 

3 

3 

609 

7 

Lime  shale.... . . . . 

6 

_ 

615 

7 

Shale,  blue _ _ _ 

10 

_ 

625 

7 

Sand  shale. . . . . . . 

10 

_ 

635 

7 

Sand  shale.  _  _ _ 

7 

_ 

642 

7 

Shale,  blue. . . . . 

22 

9 

665 

4 

Coal  (No.  5?).. . - . . 

4 

9 

669 

1 

Shale,  blue . . . - 

.... 

9 

669 

10 

Two  deep  drillings  for  oil  have  been  put  down  in  T.  20  N.,  R.  2.  E. 
(Clinton  Township),  one  in  section  10  and  the  other  in  section  32. 
Both  records  are  reproduced  herewith,  the  record  of  the  well  in  section 


DEWITT  COUNTY 


71 


10  being  copied  from  the  Geological  Survey  of  Illinois.  Vol.  8,  pages 
34  and  35. 


Record  of  drilling  in  sec.  10,  T.  20  N  ,  R.  2  E.  ( Clinton  Toivnship) 

DeWitt  County 


Description  of  Strata 

Thic 

cness 

De 

pth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Surface  soil . 

5 

5 

.... 

Quicksand  .  .  _ _ 

15 

_ 

20 

.... 

Sand  with  gravel  and  boulders _ 

17 

_ 

37 

.... 

Sand  and  clay  mixed  . . 

53 

.... 

90 

.... 

Hardpan .  . 

12 

_ 

102 

Gravel _  ...... 

1 

_  _  _  _ 

103 

.... 

Hardpan. . .  . 

4 

.... 

107 

.... 

Clay  and  sand  . 

4 

.... 

111 

.... 

Gravel  and  clay _ _ _ _ 

7 

_ 

118 

.... 

Hardpan . 

3 

_ 

121 

.... 

Clay  and  sand...  .  . . . 

7 

_ 

128 

.... 

Clay  and  gravel... .  _ 

14 

.... 

142 

.... 

Clay . 

4 

.... 

146 

.... 

Hardpan _  .  .  ... 

6 

— 

152 

.... 

Clay  and  gravel...  . 

8 

_ 

160 

.... 

Quicksand _  _ 

5 

.... 

165 

.... 

Sand  and  gravel  ..  . 

2 

.... 

167 

.... 

Coarse  gravel .  . 

2 

.... 

169 

.... 

Clay . 

6 

.... 

175 

.... 

Gravelly  hardpan  . . . . 

25 

.... 

200 

.... 

Quicksand _ 

6 

206 

Sand  and  clay... 

7 

.... 

213 

Gravel _  . 

9 

.... 

222 

.... 

Sand . 

11 

233 

Gravel . 

9 

242 

.... 

Sand . 

9 

.... 

251 

.... 

Quicksand  and  gravel  . 

101 

.... 

352 

.... 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

McLeansboro  and  Carbondale — 

Slate,  black . 

1 

.... 

353 

Fire  clay . 

3 

.... 

356 

.... 

Limestone  (Lonsdale?) . 

19 

.... 

375 

.... 

Fire  clay . 

1 

.... 

376 

.... 

Shale,  gray . 

1 

.... 

377 

.... 

Shale,  red  and  gray . 

10 

.... 

387 

.... 

Shale,  gray . 

2 

.... 

389 

.... 

Sandstone . 

36 

425 

.... 

Shale,  gray . 

32 

.... 

457 

.... 

Shale,  dark .  . 

6 

.... 

463 

.... 

72 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Record  of  drilling  in  sec.  10,  T.  20  N ,  R.  2  E. — Concluded 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Shale,  gray . . . . . . . 

5 

468 

Coal  (No.  7?).. _ _ _ 

2 

9 

470 

9 

Coal  and  “slate” . . . 

9 

471 

6 

Fire  clay . . 

7 

3 

478 

9 

Limestone . . . . 

22 

_ 

500 

9 

Sandstone.... . . . 

6 

.... 

506 

9 

Clay  shale,  gray.... . . 

11 

_ 

517 

9 

Sandstone . . . 

11 

_ 

528 

9 

Shale,  gray . . . . 

8 

_ 

536 

9 

Slate,  black,  and  coal . . . . 

3 

_ 

539 

9 

Limestone . .  . . . 

7 

____ 

546 

9 

Sandstone.  . . . . 

19 

.... 

565 

9 

Shale,  gray _ _ _ _ _ 

10 

_ 

575 

9 

“Slate,”  black........ . . . . . 

3 

_  ___ 

578 

9 

“Slate,”  black  and  coal . . . 

4 

_ 

582 

9 

Shale,  gray . . 

21 

_ 

603 

9 

“Slate,"  black . . . . . . 

3 

_ 

606 

9 

Coal  (Worthen’s  No.  3) . . 

1 

_ 

607 

9 

“Slate,"  black  and  trace  of  coal _ 

2 

_ 

609 

9 

Clav  shale,  gray . . . . 

3 

— 

612 

9 

Coal  (No.  2?) .  . 

1 

613 

9 

Pottsville — 

“Slate,”  black  and  trace  of  coal . . 

3 

_ 

616 

9 

Shale,  gray . . . . . . 

16 

— 

632 

9 

Limestone,  hard  impure.. . . . 

1 

— 

633 

9 

Sandstone,  hard _ _ _ 

3 

_ 

636 

9 

Shale,  gray _ _ _ _ 

5 

— 

641 

9 

“Slate,”  black. _ _ _ _ 

8 

_ 

649 

9 

Sandstone _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

10 

_ 

659 

9 

Shale,  gray _ _ _ _ _ 

3 

— 

662 

9 

“Slate,”  black _ _ _ _ 

2 

_ 

664 

9 

Shale,  gray _ _ _ _ 

8 

— 

672 

9 

Shale,  sandy _ _ _ _ _ 

11 

— 

683 

9 

Shale,  gray . . 

9 

— 

692 

9 

Limestone,  hard  . . . 

1 

693 

9 

Sandstone,  hard  ..  . . . 

2 

695 

9 

Shale,  dark.  .  ..  ..  . . . 

3 

698 

9 

Shale,  gray . . . . . . . . . 

3 

— 

701 

9 

Shale,  sandy _ _ _ _ _ 

3 

— 

704 

9 

Sandstone  ..  . . . 

6 

710 

9 

“Slate,”  black,  with  trace  of  coal...- 

2 

.... 

712 

9 

Shale,  gray . . . . . 

82 

— 

792 

9 

Coal  (No.  1  ?)  . . 

1 

793 

9 

Shale,  gray . . . . — . 

10 

— 

803 

9 

Sandstone  and  shale 

25 

_ 

828 

9 

DEWITT  COUNTY 


73 


Record  of  C.  C  Morris'  ivell  near  center  sec  32,  T.  20  N.,  R.  2  E., 

DeWitt  County 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Dep 

Quaternary  system — 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Soil _ _ _ _ 

5 

_ 

5 

( i  ravel _ 

12 

.... 

17 

Quicksand... _ _ _ 

2 

_ 

19 

Clay  and  gravel,  mixed . . . . 

13 

_ 

32 

Clay  and  gravel,  mixed  . . . 

78 

_ 

110 

Clay  and  gravel,  mixed.. _ _ 

40 

_ 

150 

Quicksand _ _  _ 

20 

170 

1  Iardpan _ _ _ 

50 

_ 

220 

Quicksand _  _ 

45 

_ 

265 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

Limestone  and  “slate” _ _ 

3 

268 

“Slate”  rock,  different  color _ 

8 

.... 

276 

Coal . . . . .  . 

5 

.... 

281 

“Slate,”  changing  color.. . . 

24 

_ 

305 

Sand _ _ _ 

7 

.... 

312 

“Slate,”  first  red  found _  _ 

12 

.... 

324 

Shell  and  “slate”....  . 

17 

341 

Limestone . . 

7 

348 

“Casey  oil-bearing  strata” . 

10 

_ 

358 

“Slate” . . . . . 

19 

'  .... 

377 

Limestone,  hard.  .. 

2 

379 

“Slate”  and  coal.  . 

4 

383 

“Slate” . .  . 

25 

408 

Coal  (No.  7?) . 

6 

.... 

414 

“Slate”  of  different  color . . 

49 

463 

Limestone _ _ _ 

3 

466 

Sand . . 

4 

470 

“Slate” . 

57 

527 

Coal  (No.  5?).. 

2 

.... 

529 

“Slate,”  change  color. 

33 

562 

Sand  “slate” _ 

15 

577 

“Slate” . 

90 

667 

Limestone . 

7 

674 

“Slate” . 

80 

754 

“Slate,”  sandy . . 

12 

766 

“Slate,”  black,  no  coal 

18 

784 

Sand,  limy  . 

4 

788 

“Slate” . 

16 

804 

Sand  water 

6 

810 

“Slate” . 

19 

829 

With  oil  scum 

50 

879 

“Slate” . 

71 

950 

Mississippian  system — 

“Marble,  limy  looking”.. 

160 

1110 

“Some  strange  formation”. 

40 

1150 

“Slate” . 

40 

1190 

Shell . 

3 

1193 

“Slate” . 

7 

8 

1200 

74 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Worthen  states  that  the  drilling  in  section  10  was  made  with  the 
diamond  drill,  and  that  it  probably  penetrated  to  the  base  of  the 
‘‘Coal  Measures.”  He  tentatively  correlates  the  coal  at  468  feet  (2  feet 
9  inches)  with  the  upper  vein  (No.  7)  in  the  Bloomington  shaft,  a 
record  of  which  is  given  in  the  McLean  County  chapter ;  and  regards 
the  coals  at  715  and  721  as  possibly  equivalent  to  No.  2  or  No.  3,  the 
latter  coal  not  definitely  recognized  by  the  present  Survey,  and  the 
coal  at  903  as  No.  1.  These  correlations  seem  to  be  consistent  with  the 
data  assembled  since  the  publication  of  Worthen’s  reports.  Accord¬ 
ingly,  a  correlation  of  the  upper  coal  at  Clinton  at  468  with  the  upper 
coal  at  Farmer  City  at  575  seems  likely,  especially  as  it  is  consistent 
with  regional  dip  toward  the  trough  at  the  foot  of  the  west  slope  of 
the  La  Salle  anticline.  The  actual  difference  in  altitude  may  even  be 
slightly  more  than  is  indicated  by  the  difference  in  depth,  as  the  surface 
altitude  at  Farmer  City  is  less  than  at  Clinton.  It  is  possible  that  the 
limestone  at  a  depth  of  356  feet  at  Clinton  is  to  be  correlated  with  the 
Lonsdale.  If  so,  the  114-foot  interval  between  the  limestone  and  No. 
7  coal  is  only  25  to  30  feet  greater  than  the  usual  interval  to  the  north 
and  west. 

The  log  of  the  boring  southwest  of  Clinton  in  section  32  is  a 
churn-drill  record,  and  the  strata  noted  do  not  correspond  closely  with 
those  reported  to  have  been  encountered  in  the  drilling  north  of  Clinton. 
However,  the  record  is  of  interest  in  showing,  probably  accurately,  the 
depth  of  the  drift  and  the  thickness  of  the  Pennsylvanian;  massive 
Mississippian  limestone  underlying  the  “Coal  Measures”  is  entered  at 
950  feet,  about  50  feet  below  the  lower  coal  in  the  well  north  of 
Clinton.  Accordingly  it  is  probable  that  the  well  north  of  Clinton 
penetrated  or  nearly  penetrated  the  Pennsylvanian  strata  at  a  depth 
of  942  feet,  as  suggested  by  Worthen.  Correlations  of  the  coal  in  the 
well  in  section  32  at  410  feet  with  No.  7  coal,  and  that  at  527  feet  with 
No.  5  is  suggested. 


Structure 

DeWitt  County  lies  near  the  center  of  the  trough  of  the  Illinois 
coal  basin,  the  drilling  at  Farmer  City  possibly  being  approximately 
along  the  axis  of  the  trough.  It  is  believed  that  the  strata  dip  gently 
eastward  toward  this  trough,  possibly  at  the  rate  of  between  5  to  10 
feet  per  mile.  Data  are  insufficient  to  show  whether  or  not  there  are 
important  departures  from  the  general  dip.  The  eastward  dip  is  also 
slightly  modified  by  a  still  gentler  southward  dip  of  probably  not  over 
5  feet  per  mile. 


DEWITT  COUNTY 


75 


Coals 

Three  workable  coals,  No.  7,  No.  5,  and  No.  2,  possible  underlie 
DeWitt  County.  The  indications  are  that  all  the  coals  are  thinner  in 
the  central  part  of  the  county  in  the  vicinity  of  Clinton  than  to  the 
east  near  Farmer  City.  The  two  upper  coals  are  separated  by  100  feet 
of  strata  and  the  two  lower  coals  by  about  150  to  175  feet  of  strata, 
consisting  of  sandstone  and  shale  with  some  limestone.  These  intervals 
between  coals  No.  2,  No.  5,  and  No.  7  persist  directly  northward  into 
La  Salle  County  and  District  I  west  of  the  La  Salle  anticline.  To  the 
northwest,  west,  and  southward  the  intervals  vary. 

Further  drilling  is  necessary  in  order  to  prove  the  presence  or  ab¬ 
sence  of  considerable  areas  of  workable  coals  in  the  county  and  the 
character  of  the  roof  and  floor.  No.  7  is  reported  to  have  a  black 
shale  cover  at  both  Clinton  and  Farmer  City,  which  is  similar  to  con¬ 
ditions  reported  at  Bloomington  and  farther  north  in  the  State.  Blue 
shale  is  reported  above  No.  5  coal  at  Farmer  City,  and  dark  shale  at 
Clinton.  The  coal  is  commonly  capped  by  black  shale  elsewhere  in 
the  State. 

It  is  possible  that  the  coal  resources  of  this  county  are  large,  but 
such  data  as  are  available  do  not  encourage  great  expectation  of  large 
discoveries.  Further  careful  prospecting  is  essential  to  a  correct  under¬ 
standing  of  conditions. 


FULTON  COUNTY 


Production  and  Mines 


Production  in  tons,  year  ended  June  30,  1920 .  2,331,975 

Average  annual  production,  1916  to  1920 .  2,367,754 

Total  production,  1881  to  1920 . 47,178,407 


Fulton  County  ranked  twelfth  in  1920,  among  the  coal-producing 
counties,  the  output  in  that  fiscal  year  being  between  3  and  4  per  cent 
of  the  total  output  of  the  State. 

Table  6  lists  the  27  shipping  mines  operating  in  1920. 

Besides  the  shipping  mines  131  local  or  wagon  mines  also  operated 
in  1920  with  a  total  production  of  150,320  tons.  All  the  shipping 
mines  in  Fulton  County  with  one  exception  operate  No.  5  coal;  the 
Spoon  River  Colliery  Company,  located  at  Ellisville,  operates  No.  1 
or  Rock  Island  coal.  The  local  banks  operate  No.  1,  No.  2,  No.  5,  and 
No.  6  coals,  and  a  coal  possibly  correctly  called  No.  3. 

Surficial  Deposits 

The  thickness  of  glacial  drift  is  known  to  be  as  much  as  155  feet 
in  one  place,  but  the  average  of  293  wells  in  the  area  of  the  Canton 
and  Avon  quadrangles  is  only  38  feet.  The  drift  consists  of  glacial 
stony  clay  or  till  with  which  is  commonly  associated  one  or  two  beds 
of  gravel.  Above  those  a  mantle  of  yellow  loess  or  silt  5  to  20  feet 
thick  covers  much  of  the  upland  surface,  and  deposits  of  alluvium  lie 
in  the  valleys. 

It  has  been  determined  from  data  concerning  water  wells  between 
Put  and  Lost  Grove  creeks,  that  the  drift  is  thick,  so  that  the  outcrop 
of  No.  5  coal  lies  farther  east  than  is  the  case  south  of  Put  Creek,  and 
north  of  Lost  Grove  Creek.  The  position  of  this  outcrop  is  indicated 
on  the  map,  Plate  V.  This  is  the  only  pre-glacial  drainage  line  that 
has  yet  been  discovered  in  the  county  and  it  is  probably  the  only  one 
within  the  area  underlain  by  No.  5  coal. 

Coal-bearing  Rocks. 

The  general  succession  of  coal-bearing  rocks  in  Fulton  County  has 
been  indicated  to  some  extent  in  Part  I.  It  was  there  stated  that  be¬ 
cause  of  special  field  examination  in  the  area  of  the  Avon  and  Canton 


76 


FULTON  COUNTY 


77 


quadrangles,  which  includes  nearly  all  the  north  half  of  the  county, 
and  also  because  of  the  many  exposures  and  coal  prospects,  knowledge 
of  the  coal-bearing  rocks  in  this  county  is  more  definite  than  it  is  for 
the  other  counties  in  the  district.  However,  as  investigations  and  the 
commercial  mining  operations  are  restricted  to  the  northern  part  of  the 
county,  conditions  in  the  southern  part  can  be  less  thoroughly  de¬ 
scribed.  It  is  believed  that  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  a  large 
part  of  which  is  remote  from  a  railroad,  is  probably  not  underlain  by 
large  bodies  of  the  thicker  and  higher  No.  5  and  No.  6  coals,  but  that 
the  lower  coals  may  nevertheless  be  continuous.  It  is  not  improbable, 
however,  that  situated  near  the  hill  summits  there  are  rather  numerous 
small  bodies  of  the  thicker  coal  which  may  be  suitable  for  stripping 
operations  and  local  banks.  The  determinations  of  the  actual  amount 
of  such  coal  require  detailed  field  investigations  which  will  probably 
be  undertaken  a  little  later.  The  present  report  concerns  itself,  there¬ 
fore,  chiefly  with  the  area  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  county  under¬ 
lain  by  No.  5  coal.  The  area  to  the  west  beyond  the  outcrop  of  this 
coal  will  receive  more  detailed  description  in  the  proposed  report  on 
District  III  in  which  coals  No.  1  and  No.  2  in  the  western  part  of 
the  State  from  Rock  Island  to  Alton  will  receive  special  attention. 
Drill  records  show  that  the  base  of  the  coal-bearing  rocks  declines  east¬ 
ward,  so  that  these  rocks  are  thickest  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county. 
In  a  deep  well  at  Canton  465  feet  of  Pennsylvanian  and  overlying  gla¬ 
cial  material  was  penetrated ;  on  the  other  hand,  in  the  western  part  of 
the  county  near  New  Philadelphia,  the  base  of  the  coal-bearing  rocks  is 
only  225  feet  below  the  surface. 

The  youngest  Pennsylvanian  stratum  exposed  in  the  area  is  the 
Lonsdale  limestone,  which  underlies  the  glacial  drift  in  a  small  area 
in  the  northeast  part  of  the  county  near  Farmington.  The  special  sig¬ 
nificance  of  this  limestone  in  this  study  is  the  fact  that  its  character¬ 
istic  interval  of  about  60  feet  above  No.  7  coal  furnishes  a  basis  for  the 
identification  of  this  coal  throughout  Districts  I  and  III.  The  lime¬ 
stone  underlies  a  large  area  in  Peoria  County  where  it  has  been  quar¬ 
ried  to  some  extent.  In  this  county  No.  7  coal  is  too  thin  to  be  of  com¬ 
mercial  importance. 

No.  6  coal  is  found  outcropping  in  many  places  in  the  county 
between  the  outcrop  of  No.  5  coal  and  the  area  underlain  by  the  Lons¬ 
dale  limestone.  It  underlies  an  area  of  35  to  40  square  miles  in  the 
northeast  part  of  the  county,  extending  south  from  the  north  line  to 
within  two  miles  of  Canton,  and  west  as  far  as  Fairview.  It  is  also 


78 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


present  in  small  areas  northeast  of  Cuba.  The  approximate  outcrop  of 
this  coal  on  the  Canton  and  Avon  quadrangles,  as  determined  by  Sav¬ 
age,  is  indicated  on  the  structure  map,  Plate  V.  Like  all  the  “Coal 
Measures”  strata,  it  dips  eastward  at  a  low  angle.  No.  6  (Herrin)  coal 
has  in  this  region,  as  elsewhere,  a  limestone  cap-rock  3j4  to  4  feet 
thick,  separated  from  the  coal  by  6  to  14  inches  of  bluish  to  dark  cal¬ 
careous  shale.  The  cap-rock  contains  the  fossil  found  in  Illinois  only 
in  this  stratum,  namely,  Girtyina  ventricosa.  Savage  has  identified 
twenty-two  other  fossils  from  this  same  bed  in  this  county,  but  none 
has  the  value  of  Girtyina  ventricosa  in  identifying  the  limestone. 

The  strata  between  the  cap-rock  of  No.  6  coal  and  the  Lonsdale 
limestone  consist  largely  of  shale.  Savage  states  that  overlying  the 
cap-rock  of  the  Herrin  coal  there  is  usually  10  to  15  feet  of  shale,  fol¬ 
lowed  by  a  few  feet  of  sandstone,  and  which  in  turn  is  overlain  by 
about  14  feet  of  gray  and  18  inches  of  blue  shale.  No.  7  coal  lies  33  to 
36  feet  above  No.  6  coal.  Above  No.  7  coal  is  about  40  feet  of  gray 
shale,  followed  by  10  to  12  feet  of  dark  shale  which  underlies  the  Lons¬ 
dale  limestone.  It  is  of  some  interest  that  the  variegated  shales  near 
the  horizon  of  No.  7  coal  are  found  in  the  Peoria-Springfield  areas 
and  are  widespread  in  District  VII.  They  are  not  known,  however, 
in  all  districts. 

The  interval  between  No.  6  and  No.  5  coals  varies  somewhat 
in  the  county.  In  the  northeastern  part  where  the  main  body  of  the 
upper  coal  lies,  the  interval  is  normally  about  65  feet.  In  Putnam 
Township,  however,  in  the  vicinity  of  Cuba,  the  interval  decreases 
to  such  an  extent  that  locally  the  two  coals  are  thought  to  be  in  con¬ 
tact.  They  have  been  seen  in  outcrop  within  7l/2  feet  of  each  other, 
and  one  drilling  in  the  vicinity  of  Cuba  found  10  feet  of  coal.  It  is 
thought  that  this  unusual  thickness  is  probably  due  to  lack  of  inter¬ 
vening  strata  between  the  two  coal  beds,  No.  6  lying  directly  upon 
No.  5. 

The  strata  between  No.  5  and  No.  6  consist  of  a  black  “slate” 
above  No.  5  coal,  2  to  6  inches,  above  which  is  9  to  20  inches  of  lime¬ 
stone  cap-rock,  12  to  20  inches  of  soft  gray  shale  or  “clod,”  20  to  30 
feet  of  gray  shale,  a  variable  thickness  of  sandy  shale  and  sandstone, 
6  to  8  feet  of  yellowish  shale,  and  1  to  3  feet  of  the  under  clay  of  No. 
6  coal.  Between  the  20-  to  30-foot  shale  member,  known  as  the  Can¬ 
ton  shale,  and  the  sandy  stratum  overlying  it,  is  an  uneven  plane  of 
contact,  which  results  in  considerable  variation  in  the  thickness  of 
both  of  these  strata.  In  places,  especially  in  Putnam  Township,  the 
Canton  shale  member  is  entirely  out,  so  that  the  sandstone  rests  on  the 


FULTON  COUNTY 


79 


cap-rock  of  No.  5  coal  or  even  locally  upon  the  coal  itself.  Rarely 
all  the  strata  normally  occurring  between  the  Springfield  and  Herrin 
coals  are  wanting,  and  more  rarely  a  part  or  all  of  the  No.  5  coal  is 
absent. 

The  area  in  which  No.  5  and  No.  6  are  actually  in  contact  is  small ; 
and  it  is  only  in  a  small  area  lying  mainly  between  the  line  of  the 
Toledo,  Peoria,  and  Western  Railroad  and  Put  Creek,  in  the  north 
half  of  Putnam  Township,  that  the  nearness  of  No.  5  to  No.  6  is  espe¬ 
cially  noteworthy. 

No.  5  coal  is  persistently  present  in  that  part  of  the  county  east 
of  its  line  of  outcrop.  Numerous  more  or  less  detached  areas  of  coal 
probably  exist  beneath  the  uplands  along  the  main  divides  even  south 
of  Spoon  River,  since  this  coal  has  been  mined  at  Astoria  and  in 
Schuyler  County  near  Rushville.  The  outcrop  of  the  coal  within  the 
Avon  and  Canton  quadrangles  is  shown  in  Plate  V. 

Savage  states  that  the  No.  5  coal  is  uniform  in  thickness  where 
it  is  found  within  the  quadrangle,  averaging  4  feet  8  inches  in  141 
well  records  and  43  measured  sections,  and  generally  departing  less 
than  6  inches  from  the  average.  In  the  eastern  and  northern  portions 
of  the  county,  where  the  usual  sequence  of  strata  overlies  this  coal, 
the  bed  is  commonly  cut  by  numerous  clay-filled  fissures  (clay  seams 
or  horsebacks),  such  as  are  characteristic  of  this  coal  in  Sangamon 
County  and  in  other  parts  of  the  State.  Where  sandstone  overlies  the 
coal  in  the  vicinity  of  Cuba,  no  clay  seams  have  developed.  No.  5 
coal  is  commonly  correlated  by  its  physical  characteristics,  especially 
the  presence  of  horsebacks,  and  by  the  physical  character  of  its  roof. 


The  black  fissile  shale  containing  ironstone  or  pyritic  concretions,  rang¬ 
ing  from  3  to  4  inches  to  as  many  feet  in  diameter,  is  the  very 
characteristic  roof  of  the  bed,  a  similar  roof  not  being  associated  with 
the  other  coals.  The  clod  and  cap-rock  are  of  local  assistance  in 
identifying  the  coal,  but  have  not  the  State-wide  distribution  of  the 
black  “slate.”  The  niggerheads,  clod,  and  cap-rock  are  all  fossiliferous, 
but  as  they  lack  definitely  identifying  forms,  do  not  have  the  same 
value  in  correlation  studies  as  the  type  fossil  of  the  cap-rock  of  No.  6 
coal.  However,  they  are  more  or  less  characteristic. 

Although  coals  helow  No.  5  are  present  in  Fulton  County  within 
the  area  underlain  by  No.  5,  they  are  worked  only  in  areas  west  of  the 
outcrop  of  this  coal.  There  are  two  workable  coals  below  No.  5,  No. 
1  (Rock  Island)  coal  and  No.  2  (Colchester  or  Pa  Salle  “Third  Vein”) 
coal.  No.  2  coal  has  hc*en  worked  at  Avon ;  No.  1  is  mined  at  Ellisville 
and  has  been  worked  recently  at  Seville ;  at  local  banks  in  the  western 
and  southern  part  of  the  county  each  of  these  coals  is  being  worked. 


80 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Drilling  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county,  especially  in  Putnam 
and  Buckheart  townships,  indicates  the  probable  widespread  presence 
of  at  least  one  of  these  lower  coals. 

No.  2  (Colchester)  coal  lies  about  90  to  135  feet  below  No.  5,  the 
lesser  interval  being  found  in  the  Cuba  region,  and  the  greater  in  the 
northeast  part  of  the  county.  The  strata  between  No.  5  and  No.  2 
consist  mainly  of  shale  and  sandstone,  a  massive  sandstone  being  rather 
widespread  in  the  upper  third  of  the  section.  The  roof  of  No.  2  con¬ 
sists  of  gray  shale  or  “soapstone”  9  to  14  feet  in  thickness  in  the 
northern  and  western  parts  of  the  county,  but  thicker  toward  the  south. 
It  is  followed  above  by  a  black  fissile  shale  3  to  6  feet  thick  with 
which  is  commonly  found  a  band  of  fossiliferous,  septarian,  nodular 
limestone  one-half  to  one  foot  thick.  Savage  states  that  this  is  an 
easily  recognized  succession  which  is  exposed  in  many  places  in  the 
western  part  of  the  county.  It  is  noteworthy  also  that  essentially  the 
same  succession  is  found  above  No.  2  coal  in  the  La  Salle  district  west 
of  the  La  Salle  anticline  and  in  much  of  District  III  to  the  west.  The 
coal  has  a  common  thickness  of  about  2  feet  6  inches,  but  varies  be¬ 
tween  2  and  3  feet. 

A  coal  believed  to  be  the  equivalent  of  the  coal  mined  in  Rock 
Island  County  and  known  as  No.  1  or  Rock  Island  coal,  lies  60  to  90 
feet  below  No.  2  coal,  the  interval  being  greatest  to  the  east.  The  area 
in  which  this  coal  is  best  developed  seems  to  lie  west  or  south  of  the 
outcrop  of  No.  5  coal.  The  few  drill  holes  to  the  base  of  the  Penn¬ 
sylvanian  rocks  east  of  the  outcrop  of  No.  5  show  coal  thick  enough 
to  be  of  commercial  value  only  at  the  horizon  of  the  Rock  Island  coal 
in  one  or  two  cores,  and  these  holes  are  located  along  the  outcrop  of  the 
No.  5  coal  in  Putnam  Township.  The  coal  attains  locally  a  thickness 
of  about  feet  in  the  vicinity  of  Cuba,  but  there  appears  to  be  no 
large  body  of  it  and  very  commonly  the  seam  is  separated  by  shale 
partings.  Where  it  is  worked  in  the  western  part  of  the  county  at 
Ellisville,  it  is  3  to  Sl/2  feet  thick.  This  coal  seems  to  have  been  laid 
down  in  a  narrow  trough  or  basin  running  north  and  south  through  the 
western  part  of  the  State,  from  Brown  to  Rock  Island  County,  the 
eastern  edge  of  which  crossed  the  central  part  of  Fulton  County.  Its 
area  of  main  development  is  therefore  west  of  this  district  in  Dis¬ 
trict  III. 

No.  1  coal  where  characteristically  developed  has  a  readily  recog¬ 
nizable  bluish,  fossiliferous,  limestone  cap-rock  5  to  20  feet  thick, 
which  is  separated  from  the  coal  by  6  inches  to  3  feet  of  dark  shale. 
In  its  typical  development  this  cap-rock  seems  to  be  restricted  to  the 
same  area  as  No.  1  coal,  and  to  become  thinner  and  possibly  disap- 


FULTON  COUNTY 


81 


pear  entirely  toward  the  east.  The  few  drill  holes  in  eastern  Fulton 
County  that  penetrate  No.  1  coal  do  not  find  a  cap-rock  above  No.  1 
coal. 

No.  1  and  No.  2  coals  will  be  described  in  greater  detail  in  a  pro¬ 
posed  later  bulletin  which  will  discuss  the  coal  resources  of  District  III. 

Coals  between  No.  1  and  No.  2  seem  to  be  somewhat  more  num¬ 
erous  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  than  in  the  western.  Between 
No.  1  and  No.  2,  lying  20  to  30  feet  below  No.  2,  Savage  reports  a  thin 
coal,  18  inches  thick,  which  seems  to  be  fairly  persistent  as  it  is  found 
in  outcrop  in  the  western  and  central  parts  of  the  county  and  in  drilling 
in  the  eastern  part.  Whereas  this  is  the  only  persistent  coal  known  in 
the  section  in  the  western  part  of  the  county  where  strata  outcrop, 
drilling  in  the  vicinity  of  Cuba,  St.  David,  and  Dunfermline  reveals 
the  presence  of  one  or  two  other  coals  between  No.  2  and  No.  1.  In  the 
Cuba  region  the  interval  between  No.  2  and  No.  1  coals  is  about  80 
feet.  The  following  record  of  a  hole  drilled  between  Fiatt  and  Cuba 
is  typical  of  the  succession  in  that  part  of  the  county. 


Record  of  drilling  between  Fiatt  and  Cuba  See  Plate  II,  No.  1 


Description  of  Strata 

Thic 

kness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Clay . . . . . . 

18 

.... 

18 

____ 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

Carbondale — 

Sandstone,  yellow _ _ 

10 

4 

28 

4 

Slate,  dark _ _  _ 

1 

10 

30 

2 

Coal  (No.  5) _ _ _  _ 

4 

6 

34 

8 

Shale,  light _  .. 

2 

4 

37 

Sandstone,  light. .  . 

2 

39 

Shale,  mixed.  .. . 

19 

58 

.... 

Sandstone,  light  .  .  _ 

12 

70 

Shale,  sandy....  ..  . . 

37 

.... 

107 

Shale,  gray . . . . 

20 

.... 

127 

____ 

“Slate,”  dark .  . 

1 

128 

Rock  (limestone?),  dark . 

1 

____ 

129 

Shale,  light . 

14 

143 

Coal  (No.  2)  . 

2 

4 

145 

2 

Pottsville — 

Shale,  sandy,  light .  . 

18 

8 

164 

.... 

Coal. 

1 

165 

Shale,  light,  sandy.  . 

12 

177 

Shale,  dark. 

1 

178 

Coal . . .’. 

■••• 

4 

178 

4 

82 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Record  of  drilling  between  Fiatt  and  Cuba — Concluded 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Shale,  light,  sandy . . . . . 

18 

_ 

196 

4 

Shale,  dark _ _ _ 

7 

_ 

203 

4 

Coal _ _ _ _ _ 

4 

203 

8 

Sulphur  (pyrite) _ _ _ 

_ 

2 

203 

10 

Coal . . . . 

3 

2 

207 

.... 

Sandy  bottom _ _ _ _ _ 

____ 

4 

207 

4 

Rock,  boulder  (limestone?) . 

8 

208 

— 

Limestone,  dark..  . . . . 

11 

_ 

219 

Shale,  dark,  hard . . . . . . 

6 

7 

225 

7 

Coal  (No.  1)  .... 

4 

4 

229 

11 

Shale,  light,  sandy . 

6 

1 

236 

.... 

The  lower  coal  with  the  dark  limestone  cap-rock  is  without  ques¬ 
tion  No.  1.  In  the  Cuba  region  rather  systematic  testing  of  this  coal  in 
certain  areas  reveals  large  variations  in  thickness  and  character.  Its 
commercial  value,  therefore,  for  the  present,  at  least,  is  small.  The 
limestone  cap-rock  is  commonly  about  10  feet  in  thickness  but  in 
places  is  absent  and  in  other  places  as  thick  as  20  feet.  The  coal  over- 
lying  the  cap-rock  or  but  a  short  distance  above  it,  is  lenticular.  In  a 
few  holes  it  has  a  thickness  of  about  4  feet,  but  commonly  is  less  than 
a  foot  thick,  and  so  interbedded  with  shale  that  it  has  no  value.  It  is 
not  known  just  how  persistent  this  bed  is  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
county.  It  is  possible  that  outcrops  of  this  bed  in  the  vicinity  of  Lewis¬ 
ton  were  confused  with  No.  2  coal  by  Worthen,  resulting  in  the  mis¬ 
interpretation  of  the  section  that  appears  in  his  discussion  of  the 
geology  of  Fulton  County  in  Volume  IV  of  the  Geological  Survey  of 
Illinois. 

The  two  other  coals  that  are  fairly  continuous  in  the  section,  one 
12  to  20  or  25  feet  below  No.  2  coal,  and  the  other  about  30  feet  lower, 
are  generally  thin.  In  some  holes,  however,  the  upper  of  the  two  is 
reported  2  feet  or  more  thick,  but  it  is  more  commonly  found  a  foot  or 
less  in  thickness.  It  is  quite  possible  that  this  coal  outcropping  near 
Lewiston  was  the  one  which  was  confused  with  No.  2  coal  instead  of 
the  lower  coal  as  described  in  the  preceding  paragraph. 

Aside  from  the  limestone  and  coals  noted  above,  the  strata  between 
No.  1  and  No.  2  coals  are  mainly  shale,  with  a  sandstone  3  to  8  feet 
thick  rather  persistent  17  to  25  feet  below  No.  2. 

Structure 

Geologic  structure  of  the  whole  of  Fulton  County  has  not  been 
determined.  A  report  on  the  structure  based  on  the  altitude  of  No.  2 


Illinois  State  Geological  Survey 


Mining  Investigations  Bull.  26,  Plate  V 


R.1  E.  R.2E.  R.3E  R.4  E. 


County  line. 


- Township  line. 


- -  Section  line. 

^  Outcrop  of  No.  2  (Col- 
Chester)  coaL 


Outcrop  of  No. 
f  field)  coal. 


5  (Spring- 


Outcrop  of  No.  6  (Her¬ 
rin)  coal. 


Contours  showing  the  ele¬ 
vation  of  No.  2  coal 
above  sea  level. 


Contours  showing  the  ele¬ 
vation  of  No  6  coal 
above  sea  level. 


Plate  V. — Map  showing  the  structure  of  the  Canton  and  Avon  quadrangles 
and  an  adjoining  area,  by  means  of  contours  on  No.  2  coal  and  No.  6  coal. 


FULTON  COUNTY 


83 


coal  in  the  Avon  and  Canton  quadrangles  appears  in  Bulletin  33/  and 
Plate  V  is  a  reduction  of  the  maps  in  that  report. 

Concerning  the  structures  of  the  Canton  and  Avon  quadrangles, 
Savage2  states : 

“In  the  Colmar  region  farther  west,  the  oil  is  found  in  the  upper 
part  of  a  dome,  and  in  a  terrace  on  its  side.  Even  on  this  favorable 
structure,  the  sand  is  present  only  in  limited  areas.  Consequently,  any 
recommendations  for  test  borings  for  oil  in  the  Avon  and  Canton  area, 
based  on  the  usual  structure  features,  must  be  recognized  as  carrying 
an  unusual  amount  of  uncertainty.  However,  since  it  is  not  possible 
to  tell  before  borings  are  made  whether  the  Hoing  sand  is  present  or  to 
what  extent  it  is  saturated  with  water  in  any  particular  locality,  if  test 
borings  are  to  be  made,  it  would  seem  wise  to  proceed  first  on  the 
usual  assumption  that  the  rocks  will  be  thoroughly  saturated  with 
water,  and  to  test  first  the  places  where  the  structure  is  favorable,  as 
the  highest  parts  of  the  anticlines  and  domes. 

“From  the  structure  maps  [Plate  Y]  it  will  be  seen  that  a  broad 
dome  is  present  northwest  of  Fairview,  the  highest  point  of  which  is 
in  the  NE.  Ei  sec-  29,  and  the  SE.  J4  sec-  20,  T.  8  N.,  R.  3  E.  South¬ 
west  of  Farmington  in  secs.  10  and  11,  T.  8  N.,  R.  4  E.,  there  is  a  low 
arch  in  which  the  beds  are  somewhat  higher  than  to  the  north  or  south. 

“From  Fiatt  a  low  arch  extends  toward  the  southeast  corner  of 
the  Canton  quadrangle.  The  axis  passes  about  one-half  mile  north  of 
Jones  School,  SW.  cor.  sec.  27,  T.  7  N.,  R.  3  E.,  and  has  been  traced 
southeast  to  the  center  of  sec.  10,  T.  6  N.,  R.  4  E. 

“In  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  Avon  quadrangle  [Plate  V],  a 
low  anticline  is  present  in  the  SE.  *4  sec.  14,  T.  8  N.,  R.  1  W.  The 
beds  here  are  somewhat  higher  than  to  the  west,  south,  ana  east ;  but 
no  outcrops  are  available  toward  the  north,  and  the  dip  in  that  direction 
is  uncertain.  One  mile  north  of  Babylon  in  secs.  11  and  the  western 
part  of  12,  T.  7  N.,  R.  1  E.,  the  beds  are  higher  than  in  any  other 
direction  except  northwest.” 

The  foregoing  interpretation  of  the  structure  in  the  Canton  and 
Avon  quadrangles  was  designed  to  meet  inquiries  concerning  the  pos¬ 
sible  existence  of  structure  favoring  oil  and  gas  accumulation  in  the 
area.  In  general  such  gentle  structure  does  not  affect  the  value  of 
the  coal,  although  knowledge  of  the  structure  is  of  some  importance  in 
laying  out  mines  in  order  to  take  advantage  of  the  natural  slopes  for 
drainage  or  haulage.  However,  where  regional  structure  is  as  gentle 
as  it  is  here,  local  variation  in  the  level  of  the  coal  may  largely  offset 

iSavage,  T.  E.,  Geologic  structure  of  Canton  and  Avon  quadrangles:  Illi¬ 
nois  State  Geological  Survey  Bull.  33,  p.  91,  1917. 

2Qp.  cit.,  p.  99. 


84 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


regional  dip,  and  hence  it  becomes  a  distinctly  local  engineering  prob¬ 
lem  to  determine  the  structure  or  dip  of  the  coal  within  each  property 
to  be  developed.  The  present  maps  are  of  value  in  determining  the 
general  lay  or  dip  of  the  bed  and  approximate  depth,  but  should  be 
used  guardedly  as  a  basis  for  laying  out  mining  operations. 

On  Plate  V  is  included  a  structure  map,  which  constitutes  an  ap¬ 
pendix  to  Savage’s  maps  and  shows  the  ‘“lay”  of  the  No.  5  seam  in  a 
strip  south  of  the  Canton  quadrangle,  based  on  detailed  drilling  and 
elevation  of  the  surface,  as  determined  by  the  company.  In  publishing 
the  map  the  Survey  does  not  assume  the  responsibility  for  the  ac¬ 
curacy  of  these  determinations  which  in  all  cases  do  not  seem  to  check 
closely  with  the  topography  on  the  Canton  sheet.  However,  the  map 
is  valuable,  especially  as  it  illustrates  the  slight  irregularities  that  af¬ 
fect  the  coal  and  shows  how  the  eastward  dip  is  in  places  eliminated  or 
even  reversed,  and  hence  illustrates  the  importance  of  detailed  drilling 
in  the  accurate  determination  of  the  structure  prior  to  laying  out  prop¬ 
erties  for  mining. 

Minor  irregularities  in  the  coal  beds  encountered  in  mines  will  be 
discussed  in  later  paragraphs. 

Min  able  Coals  of  Eastern  Fulton  County 

The  coals  of  Fulton  County  known  to  have  present  economic  value 
— that  is,  those  that  can  be  profitably  worked  at  this  time — are  Nos. 
6,  5,  2,  and  1.  Possibly  a  coal  lying  between  Nos.  1  and  2  may  also 
be  workable  locally.  These  coals  will  be  described  in  the  order  given. 

no.  6  coal 

DISTRIBUTION  AND  OCCURRENCE 

No.  6  (  Herrin  or  “blue  band”)  coal  is  present  over  about  35  to  40 
square  miles  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  county,  north  of  Canton,  over 
a  much  smaller  area  north  of  Cuba.  Other  small  areas  not  improbably 
exist,  though  they  are  not  definitely  known  to  be  present.  The  out¬ 
crop  of  the  coal  on  the  Canton  quadrangle  is  shown  in  the  map, 
Plate  V.  The  area  underlain  by  coal  has  not  been  entirely  delineated 
near  Cuba.  Savage  states  that  the  coal  lies  so  near  the  surface,  usually 
from  a  few  to  50  feet,  that  its  quality  has  been  injured  by  the  action  of 
ground  water  so  that  even  where  it  is  present  the  shafts  of  the  com¬ 
mercial  mines  are  put  down  through  this  coal  to  the  No.  5  (Springfield) 
bed  which  is  normally  about  65  feet  lower. 

character  of  no.  6  coal 

No.  6  coal  in  Fulton  County  is  not  regarded  with  as  much  favor 
as  is  No.  5  coal.  It  is  not  always  possible  to  tell  from  a  physical 


FULTON  COUNTY 


85 


examination  of  a  coal  bed  why  the  coal  is  regarded  as  better  or  less 
satisfactory  than  the  coal  of  an  adjacent  bed,  as  the  differences  are 
not  entirely  physical.  The  relative  acceptability  of  different  coals  rests 
largely  on  the  following  factors:  (1)  The  amount  of  ash;  (2)  the 
amount  of  volatile  hydrocarbons;  (3)  the  clinkering  character  of  the 
ash,  which  is  probably  the  same  as  the  fusibility  of  the  ash  ;  (4)  the 
hardness  of  the  coal,  or  its  ability  to  withstand  handling;  and  (5) 
the  heat  value.  For  a  certain  class  of  users  knowledge  of  the  coking 
quality  of  the  coal  is  also  important.  As  the  coal  lies  in  the  bed  it  is 
not  possible  to  determine  the  relative  value  of  the  coal  with  respect 
to  any  of  the  above  factors  unless  it  be  the  amount  of  ash,  and  so  it 
is  only  as  a  result  of  experience  that  judgment  can  be  passed  upon 
the  acceptability  of  a  coal. 

In  general  judgment  is  made  on  the  basis  of  results  attained  by 
the  haphazard  methods  of  firing  in  most  steam  plants  and  practically 
all  domestic  heaters.  Since  the  fact  that  popular  and  careless  method:} 
may  not  be  adapted  to  a  coal  in  question  commonly  does  not  enter  inU 
the  popular  judgment,  it  is  quite  possible  that  with  better  practices  in 
firing  and  improvements  in  heating  systems  coal  at  present  less  de¬ 
sirable  would  eventually  come  into  more  popular  favor.  It  is  also 
true  that  improvements  in  mining  practice  particularly  in  the  method  of 
handling  the  coal  at  the  face,  and  at  the  tipple,  may  largely  reduce  the 
differences  that  exist  among  coals,  especially  as  concerns  the  ash  con¬ 
tent. 

The  reasons  for  popular  judgment  against  No.  6  coal  and  pref¬ 
erence  for  No.  5  are  not  fully  tangible.  The  general  opinion  is  that 
this  coal  is  dirtier;  that  it  contains  more  shale  bone,  blackjack,  and 
pyrite  than  No.  5  ;  and  that  it  is  smokier,  higher  in  volatile  hydrocar¬ 
bons,  and  probably  somewhat  softer,  than  the  lower  bed.  Some  of 
the  prejudice  against  the  upper  coal  arises  from  the  fact  that  it  lies 
relatively  near  the  surface  and  is  thought  to  have  suffered  somewhat 
from  weathering.  A  considerable  quantity  is  probably  “outcrop”  coal, 
which  is  usually  soft  and  contains  much  infiltered  clay.  Outcrops 
of  No.  6  west  of  Farmington  are  usually  very  poor,  especially  where 
the  bed  lies  near  the  prairie  surface,  and  the  coal  has  a  reputation  of 
being  generally  unsuitable  to  mine.  East  of  the  line  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  and  Quincy  Railroad,  between  Farmington  and  Canton, 
however,  along  Copperas  Creek,  the  cover  is  solid  and  the  coal  little 
affected  by  weathering,  except  for  a  few  feet  immediately  along  the 
outcrop.  Failure  to  develop  this  coal  in  the  shafts  between  Canton 
and  Farmington  is  by  some  laid  to  the  supposed  ill  effects  of  weather¬ 
ing,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  is  50  to  60  feet  down.  It  is  possible, 


86 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


however,  that  the  coal  was  affected  somewhat  by  pre-glacial  weather¬ 
ing,  as  the  pre-glacial  surface  was  much  nearer  the  coal  than  is  the 
present  surface. 

Where  the  coal  has  been  observed  in  adjacent  parts  of  Peoria 
County  the  only  physical  characteristic  of  the  bed  which  suggests  that 
it  might  have  a  value  somewhat  inferior  to  that  of  No.  5  is  the  rather 
high  ash  content,  which  is  indicated  by  the  presence  of  numerous 
sulphur  balls  and  by  the  existence  of  a  continuous  blue  band.  Other¬ 
wise  the  coal  does  not  appear  notably  different  from  No.  5  coal.  It 
might  justly  he  argued  that  the  horsebacks  of  No.  5  coal  represent 
a  much  more  important  source  of  impurities  in  that  coal  than  do  the 
sulphur  balls  and  blue  band  in  No.  6,  so  that  the  prejudice  against  No. 
6  coal  is  probably  based  upon  qualities  not  physically  displayed  in  out¬ 
crop  and  at  the  face  in  mines. 

Analyses  and  tests  show  very  little  difference  between  No.  5  and 
No.  6  coals  in  western  Illinois,  but  whatever  difference  exists  is  to  the 
advantage  of  the  lower  coal.  The  No.  6  coal  averages  about  4  per 
cent  higher  in  volatile  matter  on  the  moisture-free  basis,  and  possibly 
2  to  4  per  cent  higher  in  moisture.  Both  coals,  however,  are  relatively 
high  in  moisture,  varying  between  13  and  18  per  cent,  so  that  probably 
the  difference  in  moisture  content  is  of  little  consequence,  and  the 
difference  in  volatile  content  likewise  hardly  warrants  favoring  one 
coal  more  than  the  other  on  this  score.  It  is  possible,  however,  the 
higher  coal  yields  its  volatile  matter  at  a  lower  temperature  and  hence 
is  less  desirable  for  general  use.  There  is,  however,  no  scientific 
basis  for  believing  that  a  difference  in  the  character  of  the  volatile 
matter  exists.  Similarly  also,  whereas  the  ash  of  No.  6  coal  may  be 
considerably  less  refractory  and  hence  harder  to  handle  than  the  ash  of 
No.  5  coal,  this  has  not  been  scientifically  established,  and  may  or  may 
not  be  a  sound  basis  of  difference.  So  much  of  the  success  in  handling 
depends  upon  the  adaptability  of  the  furnace  to  the  coal  being  used, 
upon  the  skill  and  experience  of  the  fireman,  and  upon  the  method  of 
firing  that  it  is  always  a  question  until  the  matter  has  been  authorita¬ 
tively  established,  how  much  basis  there  is  for  popular  discriminations 
as  between  different  coals. 

Physically  No.  6  coal  has  the  usual  characteristics  of  the  Illinois 
coals ;  namely,  it  is  banded  or  laminated  with  alternations  of  dull  and 
bright  coal  and  occasional  mother  coal  streaks.  As  a  special  char¬ 
acteristic  of  No.  6  coal,  there  exists  a  clay  or  “blue  band”  about  a 
foot  to  15  inches  above  the  base  of  the  bed.  This  is  about  1  to  ljA 
inches  thick  and  very  persistent.  Generally  the  coal  is  subdivided  into 
three  benches,  the  topmost  of  which  is  12  to  15  inches.  Between  the 


FULTON  COUNTY 


87 


top  and  middle  bench  is  generally  a  mother  coal  parting.  Commonly 
the  coal  has  a  dark  shale  roof  that  is  hard  to  hold,  for  it  generally 
falls  up  to  the  cap-rock,  a  distance  of  three  feet  or  less,  shortly  after 
the  coal  is  removed.  The  cap-rock  is  a  3-  to  5-foot  limestone,  generally 
solid.  The  underclay  is  hard  and  1  to  3  feet  thick.  The  expense  of 
moving  the  roof  shale  is  a  handicap  against  the  profitable  mining  of 
this  coal,  although  in  general  roof  and  floor  conditions  are  not  dis¬ 
tinctly  unfavorable. 

no.  5  coal 

The  No.  5  or  Springfield  bed  is  the  chief  source  of  coal  in  the 
shipping  mines  in  Fulton  County.  Except  for  a  few  local  mines 
where  No.  6  is  worked,  it  is  the  only  source  of  coal  east  of  the  No. 
5  outcrop. 

The  general  physical  characteristics  of  No.  5  coal  in  Fulton  County 
are  similar  to  those  elsewhere  in  the  district,  namely,  regularity  in 


Fig.  5. — Diagrammatic  sketch  showing  the  relations  of  horsebacks  to  rolls 
in  the  roof  and  floor,  and  the  accompanying  faulting. 

thickness,  common  occurrence  of  clay  slips  or  horsebacks,  and  a  per¬ 
sistent  black  “slate”  roof.  Like  all  Illinois  coals,  No.  5  is  well  laminated 
or  banded  in  structure,  and  contains  lenses,  streaks,  or  partings  of 
mother  coal,  and  occasional  masses  of  bone  coal.  Balls  and  lenses 
of  brassy  pyrite  occur  in  greater  or  less  fequency,  and  not  uncom¬ 
monly  the  coal  is  “frozen”  to  the  roof  by  a  lens  or  layer  of  pyrite. 
The  amount  of  pyrite  varies  considerably  from  mine  to  mine. 

No  physical  characteristics  peculiar  to  No.  5  coal  in  Fulton 
County  distinguish  it  from  the  same  coal  elsewhere  in  the  State.  As 
in  other  parts  of  the  district  there  is  considerable  irregularity  in  the 
distribution  of  the  horsebacks,  sulphur  balls,  and  other  features  that 
detract  from  the  value  of  the  coal  in  the  bed.  A  few  mines  in  the 
county  are  so  fortunately  located  as  to  be  working  a  block  of  coal 
relatively  free  from  impurities.  Indeed,  one  mine  reported  that  anv 


88 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


payment  to  the  miners  for  horsebacks,  rolls,  or  boulders  was  the  excep¬ 
tion  rather  than  the  rule.  In  many  other  mines  the  extra  pay  for 
such  irregularities  is  a  serious  item  of  expense.  Necessarily  this 
means  a  great  difference  in  the  profits  for  the  various  mines  in  the 
county.  In  1917  the  payment  for  horsebacks  amounted  to  $2.84  for 
each  horseback  having  an  average  thickness  of  2  to  6  inches  in  the 
middle  of  the  bed  and  19  cents  for  each  additional  inch.  In  some  mines 
the  horsebacks  are  found  as  commonly  as  12  to  15  feet;  in  other  mines 
they  are  very  unusual.  No  good  reason  has  been  arrived  at  for  the 
erratic  distribution  of  the  horsebacks. 

The  horsebacks  are  usually  accompanied  by  “rolls”  in  the  roof  and 
floor,  which  also  must  be  paid  for  when  removed.  Those  in  the  floor 
are  usually  removed,  as  they  are  thought  to  interfere  with  efficient 
shooting  when  left.  Their  removal  is  necessary  to  permit  machine¬ 
mining.  These  rolls  are  apparently  of  two  kinds:  (1)  In  most  in- 


Scale  in  feet 

Fig.  6. — Limestone  “boulder”  in  the  floor  of  the  Monmouth  Coal  Company’s 


mine  at  Brereton. 

stances,  as  in  figure  5,  faulting  as  well  as  fracturing  has  taken  place 
at  the  horsebacks,  and  the  coal,  roof,  and  floor,  has  been  offset  from  a 
few  inches  to  as  much  as  18  to  24  inches  in  places.  The  upthrow 
side  of  the  fault  in  the  floor  is  called  a  roll  in  the  floor,  and  the  down¬ 
throw  side  of  the  fault  in  the  roof  is  called  a  .roll  in  the  roof.  In  the 
case  of  low  angle  faulting  the  upthrow  side  of  the  floor  is  directly 
under  the  downthrow  side  of  the  roof,  thereby  reducing  the  apparent 
thickness  of  the  coal  in  some  places  to  3  feet  or  less.  In  such  in¬ 
stances  the  roof  must  be  heightened  to  make  head-room  for  the  mules. 
(2)  Rolls  also  may  occur  beneath  horsebacks  where  the  coal  has  not 
been  faulted.  They  are  commonly  found  under  rather  wide  horse¬ 
backs  and  appear  to  be  simply  a  bulge  of  the  fire  clay  into  the  crack 
to  a  height  of  6  to  12  inches.  Rolls  of  the  latter  variety  are  usually 
small.  Rolls  are  paid  for  by  the  inch  per  running  yard. 


FULTON  COUNTY 


89 


An  additional  source  of  extra  expense  in  some  mines  in  the  county 
consists  of  the  floor  “boulders”  (fig.  6),  which  protrude  from  the 
fire  clay  into  the  bottom  of  the  coal  for  a  maximum  distance  of  about 

3  feet.  They  are  commonly  less  than  2  feet  in  height  in  the  coal,  but 
may  be  nearly  3  feet  thick,  as  has  been  stated,  and  extend  laterally 

4  to  5  feet.  In  1917  the  cost  of  their  removal  ran  from  $2.84  for  those 
18  to  24  inches  high,  down  to  $1.42  for  those  6  to  12  inches  high. 
No  scale  for  large  ones  has  been  established,  as  they  are  uncommon. 
The  boulders  are  masses  of  rather  waxy-looking,  silicified  rock,  part 
of  a  brownish  color  and  part  black.  Both  kinds  seem  to  represent 
the  silicification  of  woody  material.  These  brownish  parts  show  very 
distinct  wood  structure,  and  appear  to  be  simply  petrified.  Material 
of  the  same  character  may  be  calcareous  rather  than  siliceous.  The 
black  material,  on  the  other  hand,  seems  to  represent  silicified  peat,  or 
something  of  that  nature,  in  which  the  unchanged  carbon  remains  as 
a  residue,  making  the  rock  black.  The  material  has  the  appearance 
of  a  very  carbonaceous  quartzite.  Such  siliceous  boulders  are  of 
course  very  hard  and  rather  difficult  to  remove. 

Some  comment  should  be  made  upon  the  occurrence  of  the  “spar” 
horsebacks  that  are  found  in  this  bed.  These  are  as  troublesome  if  not 
more  troublesome  than  the  clay  slips,  because  they  are  harder  along 
the  immediate  position  of  the  fracture  and  the  coal  on  each  side  of 
the  fracture  commonly  contains  a  wider  impregnation  of  pyrite.  They 
consist  merely  of  veins  of  pyrite  in  more  or  less  vertical  fractures, 
entirely  resembling  the  horseback  fractures  except  that  they  are  not 
as  wide  and  apparently  do  not  extend  to  as  great  a  distance  vertically 
through  the  overlying  rock.  Rarely  is  the  coal  bed  offset  along  such 
spar  horsebacks. 

The  semi-monthly  adjustment  for  horsebacks,  rolls,  and  boulders 
is  an  ever-present  source  of  bickerings  and  misunderstandings  between 
miners  and  foremen,  because  of  the  difficulty  in  the  interpretation  of 
the  rules  of  the  agreement.  It  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  ascertain  a 
fair  average  value  for  the  thickness  of  a  horseback  or  to  accurately 
measure  the  size  of  a  roll,  especially  as  the  adjustment  is  usually  made 
after  the  roll  and  horseback  has  been  removed  from  the  room  or  entry 
and  the  measurement  is  made  on  the  cross-section  appearing  on  the 
rib.  A  more  satisfactory  adjustment  of  this  labor  problem  will  obviate 
much  of  the  difficulty  in  mining  the  coal. 

Where  the  coal  is  undisturbed  by  irregularities,  conditions  are 
relatively  favorable  for  mining.  The  underclay  is  hard  and  generally 
thin  and  does  not  creep  readily,  so  that  it  rarely  causes  trouble  be- 


90 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


cause  of  squeezes.  The  overlying  black  shale  is  usually  hard  and 
stands  well  without  much  timbering  after  the  removal  of  the  coal. 
Certain  difficulties  are  encountered,  however.  The  niggerheads  in  the 
shale,  which  are  occasionally  large  enough  to  interfere  with  operation 
if  left  up  in  a  roadway,  are  heavy  and  rather  difficult  to  handle. 
Occasionally  one  of  those  left  in  the  roof  will  loosen  and  fall.  There¬ 
fore,  to  some  extent  they  are  a  source  of  possible  injury  to  miner  or 
mule.  In  some  of  the  mines  near  Farmington  the  lower  2  to  3  inches 
of  the  “slate”  called  “draw  slate"  separates  from  the  main  body  of  the 
“slate"  at  what  is  known  as  a  “false  parting"  as  the  coal  is  removed. 
When  this  happens  the  coal  is  usually  “frozen”  to  the  “draw  slate,” 
so  that  in  discarding  the  “slate”  considerable  coal,  frequently  as  much 
as  6  to  8  inches,  is  thrown  into  the  gob.  The  “freezing”  of  coal  and 
“draw  slate"  is  apparently  due  to  a  layer  of  pyrite  or  pyritized  lime¬ 
stone  in  the  top  of  the  coal,  the  presence  of  which  makes  it  very  dif¬ 
ficult  to  separate  the  coal  from  the  shale.  In  one  mine  where  this 
“draw  slate”  exists  it  is  reported  that  its  removal  is  not  desired,  as  the 
overlying  shale  is  rather  difficult  to  hold.  A  more  desirable  condition 
is  to  have  the  coal  break  away  from  the  roof  just  below  the  top  of  the 
seam,  leaving  the  sulphur  streak  in  the  roof. 

In  the  mines  south  of  Canton  and  more  or  less  throughout  the 
county,  the  most  serious  difficulty  arises  from  the  tendency  of  the 
“draw  slate”  to  come  away  with  the  coal.  As  long  as  this  lower  layer 
of  the  shale  stays  up  and  the  air  is  kept  away  from  the  overlying  shale, 
the  roof  will  remain  solid,  but  once  it  falls  the  conditions  are  almost 
immediately  bad,  the  shale  and  overlying  clod  falling  up  to  the  cap- 
rock.  In  places  even  the  cap-rock  lacks  coherence  to  withstand  the 
strain  put  upon  it  when  the  “slate”  falls  and  the  resulting  holes  in  the 
roof  of  the  mine  are  expensive  to  handle. 

In  one  or  two  mines  west  of  Farmington,  a  fairly  persistent  thin 
“mud  seam”  occupies  a  position  in  the  bed  about  8  inches  below  the 
top.  It  was  reported  that  in  one  mine  there  were  several  rooms  in 
which  the  coal  had  been  shot  off  below  this  mud  seam.  It  was  stated 
that  unless  the  miner  exercises  care  in  placing  his  holes  so  that  they 
end  above  this  mud  seam,  the  coal  tends  to  break  below  it.  A  similar 
mud  seam  lies  about  18  inches  from  the  floor  in  this  same  mine,  and 
similar  care  must  be  taken  that  the  powder  holes  be  driven  below  the 
band  to  insure  complete  removal  of  the  bed.  These  bands  are  not  per¬ 
sistent  but  are  very  common. 

In  some  of  the  mines  southwest  of  Canton  lying  in  the  bottom  of 
the  coal  is  a  band  of  blackjack,  1  to  3  inches  thick,  which  shoots  up 


FULTON  COUNTY 


91 


with  the  coal  and  must  all  be  handled  and  thrown  into  the  gob.  As 
separation  from  the  coal  is  not  clean,  considerable  coal  is  in  this  way 
wasted.  The  blackjack  consists  of  soft  carbonaceous  shale  and  coal 
containing  lenses  of  pyrite  up  to  about  1  inch  in  thickness  and  making 
up  about  one-fourth  of  the  mass. 

MINE  NOTES,  NO.  5  COAL 

ALDEN  COAL  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  5,  AT  FARMINGTON 
Entrance:  Shaft;  depth  to  No.  5  coal,  185  feet. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  3  feet  9  inches  to  4  feet  2  inches; 
averages  4  feet. 


Section  of  the  coal: 

Ft. 

in. 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Roof :  Black  “slate” . 

Coal  . 

.  3 

IV2 

4 

3y2 

2 

1 

Sulphur  . 

y2 

•  • 

•  • 

•  • 

1 

Coal  . 

9% 

•  • 

•  • 

1 

10 

Floor:  Fire  Clay  . 

•  • 

•  • 

•  • 

•  • 

•  • 

3 

11% 

4 

31/2 

4 

0  ' 

Character  of  the  coal: 

The  coal  is 

comparatively 

clean 

as  com 

pared 

with  the  same  bed  in  Peoria  County.  The  horsebacks  are  fairly  numerous 
but  rather  narrow,  commonly  not  over  4  inches  through.  About  as  com¬ 
mon  as  the  clay  slips  are  the  “spar”  horsebacks  which  are  hard  and  con¬ 
tain  crystalline  pyrite  that  fills  the  crack  and  ramifies  into  the  coal  for 
several  inches  on  each  side,  producing  a  belt  of  hard  coal  often  nearly 
8  inches  to  a  foot  wide,  through  the  center  of  which  runs  the  vertical 
irregular  fissure.  “Facings”  of  pyrite  in  the  joint  cracks  of  the  coal  are 
not  uncommon.  Gypsum  or  pyrite  facings  are  not  common.  Clay  and 
mother-coal  streaks  are  rarely  more  than  half  an  inch  thick  and  are  neither 
continuous,  nor  especially  numerous. 

Pyrite  in  balls  or  niggerheads  is  not  uncommon.  This  is  pure  shiny 
pyrite  apparently  of  good  quality,  averaging  probably  at  least  45  per  cent 
sulphur  for  the  hand-cleaned  specimen.  The  masses  of  pyrite  are  said  to 
attain  a  thickness  of  about  12  inches  and  to  extend  for  a  distance  of  5  to 
6  feet.  None  of  this  size  were  seen,  the  largest  noted  being  about  6  inches 
thick  with  a  lateral  extension  of  possibly  3  to  4  feet.  The  rooms  do  not 
commonly  have  more  than  one  sulphur  ball  in  the  face  at  one  time,  averag¬ 
ing  possibly  IV2  inches  thick  and  2  inches  in  diameter.  The  amount  of 
pyrite  actually  seen  in  the  face  is  probably  less  than  0.5  per  cent  by  weight 
of  the  coal. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  roof  is  very  regular.  It  consists  of  the 
usual  succession  of  black  “slate”  with  niggerheads  8  to  14  inches  thick, 
clod  6  to  8  inches  thick,  and  cap-rock  4  to  8  inches  thick.  The  niggerheads 
are  commonly  about  18  inches  in  diameter,  though  some  are  of  still  larger 
size.  They  parallel  the  bedding  of  the  “slate”  and  are  nearly  as  thick  from 
top  to  bottom  as  is  the  “slate.”  These  protrude  down  into  the  coal  and 
are  frequently  slick  on  the  surface  and  lie  more  or  less  loosely  in  the 
shale,  so  that  they  generally  drop  out.  Many  are  considerably  pyritized, 


92 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


some  of  the  smaller  ones  completely  so,  but  the  larger  ones  for  a  distance 
of  only  about  half  an  inch  from  the  surface.  The  change  fTom  the  cal¬ 
careous  center  to  the  pyritic  outer  layer  seems  to  be  direct  and  not  gradual. 
Ordinarily,  however,  there  is  more  or  less  pyrite  all  through  the  boulders 
with  an  increase  in  amount  toward  the  pyritic  shell. 

The  lower  2  to  6  inches  of  the  black  shale  or  “slate’’  is  known  as  the 
“draw  slate.”  Between  it  and  the  overlying  shale  is  what  is  known  as  a 
false  parting,  along  which  the  two  beds  separate  in  places  in  the  mine. 
More  often  there  is  a  good  parting  between  the  coal  and  the  “draw  slate,” 
and  the  latter  does  not  come  away.  Where  the  coal  and  “draw  slate”  stick 
together,  a  lens  of  fossiliferous  limestone,  for  the  most  part  highly  pyritized, 
in  most  cases  lies  just  at  the  top  of  the  coal.  The  limits  of  pyritization  are 
rather  indefinite,  extending  outward  into  both  the  coal  and  “slate,”  so  as 
to  cause  the  adherence  of  the  whole  mass  and  the  fall  of  the  “draw  slate” 
with  the  coal  when  the  latter  is  shot. 

Character  of  the  floor :  The  floor  clay  in  this  mine,  about  which  there 
is  nothing  unusual,  is  reported  to  be  about  2  feet  thick  on  the  average.  It 
apparently  does  not  heave  much.  Along  entries  it  is  the  practice  to  remove 
about  10  inches  of  the  floor  clay  to  make  headway  for  the  mules. 

ALDEN  COAL  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  6,  AT  NORRIS 

Entrance:  Shaft,  depth  190  feet  to  No.  5  coal. 

Sections  of  the  coal: 

Sections  of  No  5  coal  in  the  Alden  Coal  Company’s  No.  6  mine 


Face  entry  main 

2d  north  off  east 

Entry  face  main 

west  1900  feet 

entry  1200  feet 

east  2000  feet 

from  shaft 

from  shaft 

from  shaft 

Ft.  in. 

Ft.  in. 

Ft  in. 

Coal,  dull  . 

.  7 

•  •  •  • 

4 

Coal  bright  . 

.  1  8 

4  1 

3  8 

Coal,  dull  . 

.  % 

•  •  •  • 

•  •  •  • 

Coal,  bright  . 

.  1  10 

.  . 

•  •  •  • 

4  1*4 

4  1 

4  0 

ASTORIA  WOODLAND  COAL  COMPANY’S  ABANDONED  MINE 
Entrance:  Shaft;  depth  to  coal,  58  feet. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Varies  from  5  feet  to  614  feet;  averages 
5V2  feet. 

Section  of  the  coal: 


Section  of  No.  5  coal  in  the  NE.  entry  about  1700  feet  from  shaft 

Thickness 

Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Black  shale 

Coal  . 

Black  jack  . 

Coal  . 

Mother  coal  .... 

Coal  . 

Sulphur  . . 

Coal  . 

Floor:  Fire  clay 


2 

1 

1 


1 

1 

% 

10 

% 

11 


11% 


5 


FULTON  COUNTY 


93 


The  top  coal  is  dark  and  often  broken.  At  the  top  of  the  uppermost 
of  the  two  1-foot  coals  there  is  commonly  a  very  dark-colored  hard  cannel- 
like  coal  2  to  3  inches  thick.  The  lowermost  of  these  two  coals  is  soft,  and 
has  irregular  streaks  of  sulphur.  The  bottom  bench  is  a  very  bright,  hard 
coal.  The  roof  is  black  shale,  more  than  3  feet  thick,  with  large  nigger- 
heads  or  balls  of  iron  pyrite.  The  floor  is  fire  clay,  at  least  3  feet  thick. 
The  irregularities  include  large  clay  veins,  some  displacing  the  coal  18 
inches.  These  veins  which  are  exceptionally  large,  commonly  cut  entirely 
through  the  coal  and  are  as  much  as  12  feet  long  and  3  to  4  feet  wide. 

This  property  was  abandoned  in  1910. 

BIG  CREEK  COAL  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO  2,  AT  ST.  DAVID 

Entrance:  Drift;  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  4  feet  10  inches  to  5  feet  2  inches; 
averages  5  feet. 

Sections  of  the  coal : 

Sections  3  to  8  are  taken  from  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines  Bull. 
22,  p.  495. 

Sections  of  No .  5  coal  in  the  Big  Creek  Coal  Company's 

No.  2  (St.  David)  mine 

(1)  (2) 

2,200  feet  N.  2,500  feet  west 

W.  of  drift  of  drift 

mouth  mouth 

Thickness 


Ft. 

in. 

Ft 

in. 

Coal  . 

2 

•  • 

3 

V2 

Sulphur  . 

•  • 

% 

•  • 

% 

Coal  . 

•  • 

6 

1 

7% 

Blackjack  . 

•  • 

Vs 

•  . 

Shale  . 

•  • 

•  • 

2 

Coal  . 

1 

10% 

•  • 

Blackjack  . 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

Shale  . 

•  • 

2% 

•  • 

4 

4% 

4 

8 1/4 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

Room  3 

Entry  face 

Entry  face 

Entry  face 

Entry  face 

Entry  face 

18th  E. 

7th  W. 

15th  N. 

11th  N. 

7th  E. 

14th  E. 

6000  ft. 

4500  ft. 

6000  ft. 

6000  ft. 

5000  ft. 

5500  ft. 

from 

from 

from 

from 

from 

from 

opening 

opening 

opening 

opening 

opening 

opening 

Thickness 

Ft.  in. 

Ft.  in. 

Ft.  in. 

Ft.  in. 

Ft.  in. 

Ft.  in. 

Coal,  dull  . 

1  2 

1  .  . 

8 

•  •  •  • 

9 

Sulphur  . 

.  .  Vs 

•  •  •  • 

•  •  •  • 

•  •  •  • 

•  •  •  • 

•  •  •  • 

Coal,  bright  . 

3  7 

4  3 

4  .  . 

2  1 

4  4 

•  •  •  • 

Coal,  dull  . 

•  •  •  • 

•  •  •  • 

•  •  •  • 

4 

•  •  •  • 

•  •  •  • 

Mother  coal  .... 

•  •  •  • 

•  •  •  • 

•  •  •  • 

•  •  •  • 

•  •  •  • 

.  .  % 

Coal,  bright  . 

•  •  •  • 

•  •  •  • 

■  •  •  • 

2  8 

•  •  •  • 

1  11 

Sulphur  . 

•  •  •  • 

•  •  .  . 

•  •  •  • 

•  •  ,  . 

..  Vs 

Coal,  bright  . 

•  • 

.  . 

.  . 

.  . 

.  . 

1  10 

Total . 

4  9  Vs 

5  3 

4  8 

5  1 

4  4 

4  6% 

94 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  bed  is  uniform  throughout,  without 
persistent  benches.  Small  pyrite  bands  and  streaks  of  mother  coal  are 
present.  Some  gypsum  is  reported  in  the  facings.  At  the  time  the  mine 
was  examined  in  the  summer  of  1912  the  number  of  horsebacks  in  the 
working  face  was  reported  as  relatively  small.  In  1908  an  earlier  observer 
reported  a  large  number  in  the  mine,  which  indicates  that  the  coal  prcbably 
varies  considerably  as  regards  frequency  of  the  horsebacks. 

Character  of  the  roof :  The  roof  consists  of  a  “draw  slate,”  composed 
of  fine-banded,  sandy  shale,  more  or  less  impregnated  with  pyrite,  1  to  2 
inches  thick,  black  “slate”  2  to  4  feet  thick,  and  a  limestone  cap-rock.  The 
cap-rock,  which  is  notably  persistent,  varies  in  thickness  from  6  to  18 
inches,  but  is  commonly  about  10  inches  thick.  Its  distance  above  the  coal 
varies  from  1  to  4  feet,  but  is,  for  the  most  part,  2  to  2 Vz  feet.  The  “draw 
slate”  noted  above  is  not  a  typical  “draw  slate”  as  it  is  usually  left  up. 
It  probably  has  about  the  same  characteristics  as  the  “draw  slate”  observed 
in  mine  No.  4  of  this  company. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  floor  is  a  hard,  bluish-gray  clay,  2  feet  6 
inches  in  average  thickness.  This  clay  is  undercut  by  mining  machines. 
It  heaves  somewhat  after  standing  18  months  to  two  years. 

RIG  CREEK  COAL  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  4,  AT  DUNFERMLINE 

Entrance:  Shaft;  depth  to  No.  5  coal  about  82  feet. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  4%  feet  to  5%  feet;  averages  5  feet 
8  inches. 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  is  very  similar  to  that  southwest  of 
Canton.  The  bed  is  fairly  massive,  but  to  some  extent  tends  to  shoot  off 
in  benches  due  to  the  presence  of  rather  conspicuous  but  not  entirely  per¬ 
sistent  “dirt”  or  charcoal  bands.  Commonly  four  thin  dirt  bands  lie  about  8, 
14,  24,  and  30  inches  from  the  top,  respectively.  The  coal  has  distinct 
horizontal  partings  and  tends  to  shoot  up  rather  fine.  The  considerable 
quantity  of  mother  coal  present  makes  the  coal  sooty  and  dirty  to  handle. 
A  blackjack  or  clay  band  about  1*4  inches  thick  is  practically  continuous. 
It  does  not  contain  the  gray  sulphur  found  in  the  Middleton  and  Eagle 
mines  near  Canton. 

Horsebacks  are  present  in  about  the  usual  number,  but  are  apparently 
thinner  than  they  are  farther  north,  so  that  as  a  whole  they  constitute  a 
somewhat  less  serious  difficulty.  Pyrite  is  present  in  the  coal  as  balls  of 
clean  pyrite  and  to  less  extent  as  lenses  of  grayish  laminated  pyrite.  The 
balls  are  most  commonly  214  to  3  inches  thick  and  8  to  14  inches  in  diam¬ 
eter,  and  weigh  20  to  30  pounds.  The  largest  ones,  however,  may  weigh 
as  much  as  200  pounds.  It  is  estimated  that  about  one  ton  of  pyrite  a  day 
or  about  or.e-tenth  of  one  per  cent  of  the  total  coal  mined  is  uncovered  in 
the  coal. 

Character  of  the  roof:  Roof  conditions  are  similar  to  those  generally 
found  in  the  mines  south  and  southwest  of  Canton.  The  interval  between 
the  cap-rock  and  the  coal  increases  to  the  south  and  the  cap-rock  is  some¬ 
what  thicker  than  it  is  north  of  Canton.  It  is  more  difficult  to  distinguish 
the  stratum  called  “draw  slate”  from  the  black  shale  above,  as  neither  does 
it  contain  the  whitish  limy  concretions  found  in  the  mines  farther  north, 


FULTON  COUNTY 


95 


nor  are  the  limestone  lenses  present  which  in  the  mines  north  of  Canton 
are  so  commonly  found  at  the  top  of  the  coal  and  the  base  of  the  “slate.” 
The  parting  between  coal  and  “slate”  is  better  than  to  the  north  so  that 
the  coal  breaks  away,  leaving  the  “slate”  undisturbed.  Where  the  “draw 
slate”  falls,  conditions  are  almost  immediately  bad,  for  the  black  shale 
and  clod  (the  upper  part  of  the  shale)  have  very  little  coherence.  Over 
many  of  the  entries  the  cap-rock  is  exposed  the  intervening  shale  having 
fallen  in.  It  is  higher  above  the  coal  than  is  commonly  the  case  north  of 
Canton,  generally  being  4  to  5  feet.  In  places  the  cap-rock  is  thin,  espe¬ 
cially  where  its  lower  surface  is  smooth  instead  of  knobby,  as  is  more 
frequently  the  case.  The  special  problem  in  the  mine  seems  to  be  that  of 
holding  the  thin  layer  of  “draw  slate”  in  the  rooms.  The  main  haulage- 
ways  are  commonly  brushed  up  to  the  cap-rock.  The  expense  of  this  dead 
work  of  course  is  to  be  avoided  if  possible  in  the  rooms. 

Character  of  the  floor:  When  machines  are  used  the  coal  is  cut  just 
above  the  blackjack  band  in  the  base  of  the  coal.  In  solid  shooting  the 
entire  bed  shoots  out  and  the  blackjack  must  then  be  cleaned  off  the  coal. 
The  underclay  is  about  2  feet  thick.  The  floor  rolls,  as  a  rule,  under  the 
horsebacks. 

CANTON  COAL  MINING  COMPANY’S  NO.  1  MINE  (ABANDONED), 

SOUTH  OF  CANTON 

Entrance:  Shaft;  depth  to  No.  5  coal  about  55  feet. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Reported  to  average  5  feet  in  thickness. 

Section  of  the  coal:  In  room  No.  1  off  the  third  southwest  entry  the 
coal  was  53  inches  thick,  and  had  2  inches  of  bone  or  blackjack  at  the 
base.  The  coal  is  probably  similar  to  that  elsewhere  south  and  south¬ 
west  of  Canton. 


EAGLE  MINING  COMPANY’S  MINE  AT  CANTON 
Entrance:  Shaft;  depth  to  No.  5  coal  103  feet. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Varies  from  4  to  5^  feet;  averages  4  feet 
11  inches. 

Sections  of  the  coal: 


Section  measured  in  the  Eagle  Mine  near  Cayiton 
1000  feet  north-northeast  of  shaft ;  face  of  Uth  east  entry  off  the  main 

north  entry  Thickness 


Slate  .  .  . 
Coal  .... 
Dirt  band 
Fire  clay 


Ft.  in. 

10 

4  7V2 

1V2 

2  + 


Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  in  this  mine  is  representative  of  the 
seam  south  of  Canton.  It  differs  from  that  to  the  north  in  being  more 
slabby.  Three  fairly  persistent  soot  or  clay  partings,  which  may  vary 
in  position  as  much  as  an  inch  or  two  each  way,  lie  about  8,  14,  and  22 
inches  from  the  top,  respectively.  Commonly  a  sulphur  parting  is  found 


96 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


22  to  24  inches  from  the  bottom  or  about  35  inches  from  the  top,  which 
in  places  enlarges  to  become  a  bright  sulphur  ball  3  to  6  inches  thick.  Sul¬ 
phur  lenses  and  balls  are  also  present  here  and  there  in  the  bed,  but  are 
found  most  frequently  in  the  middle  of  the  bed  or  up  near  the  roof,  and 
adjacent  to  horsebacks.  In  the  bottom  of  the  coal  is  a  band  of  fire  clay, 
coal,  and  sulphur,  1  to  3  inches  thick,  called  blackjack,  which  shoots  up 
with  the  coal  and  must  be  cleaned  by  the  miner.  The  pyrite  in  the  black¬ 
jack  is  of  a  gray  banded  variety  similar  to  the  brown  sulphur  found  in 
some  of  the  mines  in  the  Peoria  district. 

Horsebacks  are  rather  frequent,  occurring  probably  about  every 
twenty  feet,  but  are  generally  less  than  4  inches  thick.  As  elsewhere  they 
are  separated  from  the  coal  that  is  loaded  out.  and  a  large  per  cent  of 
the  discarded  mass  is  good  coal.  The  waste  represented  by  their  removal 
makes  up  a  considerable  but  not  definitely  known  per  cent  of  the  bed. 

Character  of  the  roof :  The  roof  of  the  seam  is  the  usual  black 
“slate”  and  clod.  The  black  “slate”  is  about  10  inches  and  the  clod  14 
inches  thick.  The  “draw  slate,”  which  is  commonly  2  to  3  inches  thick 
and  contains  numerous  small  scattered  lenses  of  whitish  limestone  not 
larger  than  %  inch  by  1  inch,  usually  stays  up.  In  places  an  inch  or  so 
of  the  coal  stays  up  in  the  roof  with  the  “slate,”  but  in  other  places  the 
coal  is  separated  from  the  “slate”  by  a  smooth  parting.  The  shale  con¬ 
tains  a  good  many  niggerheads  which  tend  to  fall  out,  bringing  more  or 
less  of  the  shale  with  them  and  thereby  weakening  the  roof.  When  the 
“draw  slate”'  comes  down  and  the  air  gets  to  the  black  “slate”  and  clod, 
they  also  generally  fall.  The  cap-rock  may  or  may  not  be  strong  enough 
to  hold  after  the  shale  has  fallen.  Roof  conditions  in  this  mine  are  not 
especially  satisfactory;  room  occasionally  have  to  be  abandoned  on  ac¬ 
count  of  the  poor  roof  conditions. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  floor  consists  of  the  ordinary  fire  clay 
and  ordinary  floor  conditions  prevail. 


EAST  CUBA  COAL  MINING  COMPANY’S  LOCAL  MINE  NO.  1  (ABANDONED),  AT  CUBA 
Entrance:  Shaft;  about  71  feet  to  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Varies  from  4  feet  8  inches  to  5  feet  4  inches; 
averages  5  feet. 

Sections  of  the  coal: 


Section  in  the  mine  of  the  East  Cuba  Coal  Mining  Company 


Room  1,  off  2d  east  off  1st  south  off  west 


Thickness 


Ft.  in. 

Coal  .  1  11% 

Sulphur  .  l/4 

Coal  .  8% 

Sulphur  . % 

Coal  .  2 

Sulphur  . 

Coal  .  1% 

Fire  clay .  4  10 p2 

Character  of  the  coal:  Except  for  the  lower  \y%  to  2  inches  of  the 
coal,  which  is  blackjack,  the  coal  is  bright,  black,  and  hard. 


FULTON  COUNTY 


97 


Character  of  the  roof:  The  roof  is  a  black  shale  2%  feet  thick  over- 
lain  by  six  inches  of  clod  or  soft  gray  shale,  followed  by  the  cap-rock, 
which  is  about  2%  feet  thick. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  floor  is  gray  clay. 

Irregularities:  The  continuity  of  the  bed  is  broken  by  what  is  de¬ 
scribed  as  an  old  stream  channel,  probably  a  buried  pre-glacial  or  glacial 
line  of  drainage  along  which  the  coal  has  been  removed. 

MAPLEWOOD  COAL  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  1,  AT  FARMINGTON 

Entrance:  Shaft;  about  122  feet  to  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  3  feet  10  inches  to  5  feet;  averages 
4  feet  2  inches. 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  is  noted  as  black,  shiny,  long  grain, 
and  uniform  from  top  to  bottom.  The  horsebacks  or  clay  veins  are  com¬ 
monly  3  to  6  inches  thick,  but  exceptionally  3  to  4  feet.  The  smaller  veins 
are  the  harder. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  roof  consists  of  4  inches  of  black  “draw 
slate,”  about  24  inches  of  black  shale,  and  about  10  inches  of  limestone 
cap-rock.  Above  the  cap-rock  is  15  feet  more  or  less  of  light  sandy  shale. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  floor  consists  of  fire  clay  20  inches 
thick,  resting  upon  a  1-foot  limestone  layer. 


MAPLEWOOD  COLLIERY  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  2,  AT  FARMINGTON 


Entrance:  Shaft;  about  146  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  3 V2  to  4  feet;  averages  3  feet  9 
inches. 


Sections  of  the  coal : 

Sections  in  mine  No.  2,  Maplewood  Colliery  Company 
Section  / — Third  south  off  third  west  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

Roof;  shale,  black,  sheety,  with  niggerheads . 


Shale,  black,  draw  .  4 

Coal  .  4 


4  4 

Section  2 — Face  of  room  1  off  5th  west  off  north  entry,  U,000  feet 


from  shaft  Thickness 

Ft.  in. 

Coal,  dull  .  9 

Coal,  bright  .  2  11 


3  8 


98 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Section  3 — Entry  rib  in  the  2d  west  off  main  north  entry,  3,500  feet 

from  shaft 


Thickness 


Ft.  in. 

Coal,  dull  .  1 

Blackjack  .  *4 

Coal,  dull  .  9 

Blackjack  .  Vt 

Coal,  bright  .  10 

Pyrite  .  Vs 

Coal,  bright  .  4% 

Coal,  bony  .  V2 

Coal,  bright  .  2 

Coal,  bony  .  % 

Coal,  bright  .  10 


4  1% 


Character  of  the  coal :  The  coal  has  no  special  peculiarities.  It  is 
without  benches  and  conspicuous  bedded  irregularities.  The  most  per¬ 
sistent  banded  irregularity  is  a  thin  layer  of  blackjack  and  pyrite  6  to  8 
inches  above  the  base  of  the  coal.  The  coal  is  commonly  “frozen”  to  the 
roof  shale,  so  that  it  does  not  come  away  very  evenly. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  roof  consists  of  4  to  6  inches  of  carbon- 

■  ' 

aceous  shale  or  “draw  slate,”  18  to  30  inches  of  black  shale,  and  12  to  18 
inches  of  limestone  cap-rock. 


Section  of  the  roof  of  mine  No.  2,  Maplewood  Colliery  Company,  700  feet 
east  of  the  shaft  on  the  main  east  entry 


Shale,  carbonaceous,  rather  soft,  with  ironstone  concre¬ 
tions,  about  . 

Cap-rock;  a  dark  gray  limestone  with  irregular  fracture. 

Bottom  of  limestone  very  uneven  . 

Clod;  a  black  sheety  shale  with  fossil  shells . 

“Slate;”  black,  hard,  sheety  shale  with  bands  of  ironstone 
nodules.  Lower  4  inches  filled  with  bands  of  ironstone, 

limestone,  and  pyrite  nodules  . 

Coal  . 


Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

6 

1  3 

1  2 

1  3 


MONMOUTH  COAL  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  1,  AT  NORRIS 
Entrance:  Shaft;  about  142  feet  to  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  4  feet  to  4  feet  8  inches;  averages 
4  feet  4  inches. 


FULTON  COUNTY 


99 


Sections  of  the  coal: 

Sections  of  coal  in  No.  1  mine  of  Monmouth  Coal  Company 


(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

Entry  face  1st  E. 
offS.  (16th  N.) 
4200  ft.  from 
shaft. 

23d  W.  off  main 
south  4500  ft. 
from  shaft. 

Entry  face  15th 
S.  off  1st  west 
north  side  4500 
feet  from  shaft 

Thicknesses 

Ft.  in. 

Ft.  in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Coal 

.  4  2 

•  •  •  • 

•  • 

•  • 

Coal, 

dull  . 

•  •  •  • 

•  • 

7 

Coal, 

bright  . 

2  9 

3 

9 

Sulphur  . 

Vs 

•  • 

•  • 

Coal, 

bright  . 

1  8 

•  • 

•  • 

4  2 

4  5Vs 

4 

4 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  is  uniform  throughout  in  general 
appearance,  and  does  not  lie  in  benches.  Streaks  of  pyrite  and  mother 
coal  are  not  uncommon,  but  for  the  most  part  the  coal  is  laminated,  bright, 
and  blocky,  and  is  typical  for  Illinois.  The  greatest  difficulty  consists  of 
the  horsebacks  which  average  1  to  2  inches  in  width  and  which  often  con¬ 
tain  considerable  pyrite. 

Character  of  the  roof :  The  immediate  roof  is  18  inches  to  2  feet 
of  black  shale  called  “slate/ ’  with  a  gritty  limestone  cap-rock  about  6 
inches  thick. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  floor  is  fire  clay  1  to  IV2  feet  thick, 
containing  boulders  and  nodules  of  pyrite.  The  boulders  in  the  clay  are 
reported  by  one  observer  to  be  septarian  in  character,  that  is,  crossed  by 
cracks  and  containing  cavities  lined  with  calcite.  The  coal  is  reported 
to  ride  over  the  boulders  as  shown  in  the  accompanying  reproduction  of  a 
sketch  (fig.  6)  made  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  mine.  The  boulders 
are  especially  numerous  on  the  north  side  of  the  shaft  and  are  also  found 
in  the  mines  at  Norris. 

STAR  COAL  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  1,  AT  FIATT 

Entrance:  Shaft;  depth  of  No.  5  coal  about  56  feet. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  414  to  5  feet;  averages  4  feet  8 
inches. 

Sections  of  the  coal : 

Sections  of  the  coal  in  mine  No.  1  of  the  Star  Coal  Company 
Section  1 — Room  face,  room  39  off  15th  south,  off  main  east 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

Roof:  Black  sheety  shale  containing  niggerheads . 

Coal:  Rather  dull  and  hard  with  irregular  rather  than 
banded  appearance.  A  few  vertical  irregular  veinlets 
of  pyrite,  and  a  little  calcite  in  facings  is  present  and 
mother  coal  in  slight  amount  in  thickness  up  to  about 

XA  inch  .  4  7 

Floor:  Fire  clay,  soft,  dark  gray;  heaves  badly  in  air  as 
well  as  in  water;  considerable  pyrite  in  upper  two 
inches  . 


100 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Sections  2  to  U 


(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

Entry  face  20th 

Entry  face  15th 

Entry  face 

16th 

south  4500  ft. 

south  3500  ft. 

4000  ft. 

from 

from  opening 

from  opening 

opening 

Thicknesses 

Ft.  in. 

Ft.  in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Coal,  dull  . 

.  10 

•  •  •  • 

•  . 

•  • 

Coal,  bright  . 

4  4 

4 

3 

Mother  coal  . 

.  % 

•  •  •  • 

Coal,  bright  . 

6 

•  • 

Mother  coal  . 

.  y2 

•  •  •  • 

Coal  bright  . 

.  2 

•  •  •  • 

Mother  coal  . 

.  .  .  .  y2 

•  •  •  • 

Coal,  bright  . 

.  1  2 

. . 

4  9 

4  4 

4 

3 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  is  not  subdivided  into  benches.  It  is 
fairly  hard,  dull  in  appearance  and  has  hackly  fracture  and  laminated 
structure.  A  little  pyrite  is  ordinarily  interbedded  about  18  inches  from 
the  top.  There  are  no  clay  slips. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  immediate  roof  is  black  “slate”  6  to  20 
inches  thick,  above  which  is  a  micaceous  sandstone  2  feet  or  less  in 
thickness.  The  lower  2  inches  of  the  “slate,”  called  the  sulphur  band,  is 
crowded  with  fossils  largely  pyritized. 

Section  of  roof  of  No.  5  coal,  mine  No.  1,  of  the  Star  Coal  Company, 

at  Fiatt 

Section  1 — 1800  feet  from  opening  on  the  mam  east  entry 

Sandstone. 

Soapstone,  unconformable  in  relation  to  strata  below;  in  places  cuts 
out  cap-rock. 

Cap-rock;  a  fine-grained,  calcareous  and  micaceous  sandstone,  carry¬ 
ing  carbonaceous  material;  thickness  up  to  6  inches. 

Clod;  a  dark  brownish-gray  shale  with  many  shells — 3  inches. 

“Slate;”  a  black  sheety  shale,  1  foot  6  inches. 

Coal. 

Section  2 — 2500  feet  from  portal  on  main  east  entry 

Thickness 

Ft.  in. 


Soapstone;  dark  gray  sandy  shale,  irregularly  bedded,  about  4 

Cap-rock  and  clod  .  few  inches 

“Slate;”  hard  black  sheety  shale  .  1  3 

Shale;  sheety,  hard,  with  pyrite .  4 

C o al  . . . .  ..  .. 


STAR  COAL  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  3,  AT  CUBA 

Entrance:  Shaft;  26  feet  to  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal :  Averages  4  feet  8  inches. 

Section  of  the  coal: 


FULTON  COUNTY 


101 


Section  of  the  coal  in  mine  No.  3  of  the  Star  Coal  Company 
(Measured  in  temporary  north  entry) 

Thickness 
Ft.  in 

Coal  .  1  9 

Parting  . 

Coal  .  8 

“Soot”  seam  . 

Coal  .  1  8 


4  1 

Character  of  the  coal:  At  the  section  given  above,  the  coal  was 
uniform  in  appearance,  hard,  and  rather  tough.  A  narrow  vertical  sul¬ 
phur  streak  lay  in  the  upper  part  of  the  bed.  Horsebacks  are  not  numerous. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  roof  consists  of  21/4  feet  of  black  “slate’7 
above  which  is  the  cap-rock,  about  12  to  18  inches  thick. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  floor  consists  of  fire  clay. 

MIDDLETON  COAL  COMPANY’S  MIDDLETON  MINE,  AT  CANTON 

Entrance:  Shaft;  60  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  4%  to  5  feet;  averages  4  feet  9 
inches. 

Character  of  the  coal :  The  coal  is  separated  into  poorly  distin¬ 
guished  benches  by  thin  clay  and  mother  coal  partings,  one  about  8  inches 
from  the  top  and  another  about  1  foot  lower.  The  partings  are  fairly  per¬ 
sistent  and  the  tendency  of  the  coal  to  break  along  them  must  be  considered 
in  placing  the  shots,  in  order  that  all  the  seam  may  be  loosened.  A  black¬ 
jack  seam  1  to  3  inches  thick  at  the  bottom  of  the  bed  is  an  important 
impurity.  It  is  composed  largely  of  soft  carbonaceous  shale  and  coal  with 
lenses  of  pyrite  up  to  about  1  inch  in  thickness  making  up  about  one- 
fourth  of  the  mass.  It  commonly  shoots  up  with  the  coal  and  must  be 
separated  by  the  miner.  Considerable  coal  is  wasted  in  this  way.  This 
material  makes  up  the  greater  part  of  the  gob. 

Pyrite  is  present  in  the  coal  as  balls  of  hard,  bright  “sulphur”  and 
in  the  blackjack  band  in  a  grayer,  more  earthy  form.  Sulphur  balls  were 
observed  at  the  face  of  about  two-thirds  of  the  rooms  and  entries  visited. 
They  are  commonly  2%  by  10  or  12  inches,  but  in  rare  cases  are  6  inches 
thick  and  3  feet  across.  A  few  horsebacks  cut  the  coal,  occurring  possibly 
every  50  to  75  feet,  but  they  are  not  especially  troublesome. 

Character  of  the  roof:  Roof  conditions  in  this  mine  are  somewhat 
different  from  those  in  the  mines  north  of  Canton.  The  “draw  slate”  is 
not  well  differentiated.  The  coal  more  commonly  breaks  smoothly  away  from 
the  “slate”  so  that  over  much  of  the  mine  a  smooth  clean  roof  is  present. 
In  places,  however,  the  coal  is  “frozen”  to  the  “slate,”  and  coal  and  slate 
come  away  together.  This  weakens  the  roof  so  that  eventually  it  falls 
even  through  the  cap-rock.  Above  the  cap-rock  is  a  layer  of  weak  clay 
shale  which  is  called  clod,  but  which  is  not  to  be  confused  with  the  clod 
between  the  black  “slate”  and  cap-rock.  Above  the  upper  clod  is  a  gray 
soapstone.  As  the  shales  above  the  cap-rock  carry  considerable  water, 
water  enters  where  falls  occur. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  floor  is  fire  clay. 


102 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  II 


SILVER  CREEK  COLLIERY  COMPANY’S  NO.  1  MINE,  AT  FARMINGTON 

Entrance:  Shaft;  41  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  3  feet  to  4  feet  2  inches;  averages 
4  feet. 

Character  of  the  coal :  The  coal  does  not  lie  in  benches  but  contains 
a  few  discontinuous  thin  partings  Vs  to  14  inch  thick,  and  an  occasional 
nodule  of  clean,  brassy  pyrite.  Clay  and  “spar”  horsebacks  are  rather 
numerous;  the  removal  of  this  material  necessitates  extra  expense  and 
results  in  considerable  waste.  That  the  amount  of  bright  brassy-looking 
pyrite  is  small  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  out  of  17  rooms  visited,  two 
had  one  nodule  each  in  the  face.  One  of  these  was  4  to  6  inches  thick  and 
12  to  15  inches  in  length,  and  the  other  3  to  4  inches  thick  and  18  inches 
across.  The  amount  of  pyrite  present  is  rather  below  the  average  for  the 
mines  of  the  county. 

The  peculiar  hard  masses,  called  boulders,  at  the  base  of  the  coal, 
consist  of  masses  of  hard  brownish  rock  with  a  porous  texture.  Certain 
of  these  boulders  have  the  appearance  of  coke.  The  material  seems  to  be 
silicified  or  calcified  wood  or  peat,  as  certain  fragments  show  very  clearly 
the  wood  structure.  The  character  of  the  replacing  mineral  varies,  some 
boulders  being  part  silica  and  part  calcite.  Further  investigation  is  neces¬ 
sary  in  order  to  determine  the  exact  nature  of  this  impurity.  One  of  these 
boulders  measured  14  inches  high  by  about  2  feet  across  but  they  vary 
greatly  in  size. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  roof  succession,  which  is  similar  to  that 
in  the  other  mines  of  the  Farmington  region,  consists  of  the  “draw  slate,” 
“slate,”  and  cap-rock.  The  behavior  of  the  “draw  slate”  is  uncertain.  In 
places  the  coal  parts  freely  from  the  “slate”  and  the  latter  stays  up,  so  that 
slightly  less  head  room  is  left  than  is  necessary  for  the  mules,  and  along 
considerable  stretches  of  the  entries  about  10  inches  of  fire  clay  must  be 
dug  up.  Commonly,  however,  the  coal  sticks  to  the  “draw  slate”  because 
a  band  of  pyrite  or  limestone  at  the  junction  of  the  two  strata  “freezes” 
the  coal  to  the  “slate.”  Under  these  circumstances  the  “draw  slate”  comes 
down  with  the  coal,  a  condition  which  is  desired  even  though  the  coal  must 
then  be  cleaned  off  by  the  miner. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  floor  is  fire  clay.  The  layer  is  about 
6  inches  in  thickness  and  squeezes  up  into  the  entries  somewhat  where 
they  are  wet. 

NATIONAL  COAL  MINING  COMPANY’S  MINE,  WEST  OF  FARMINGTON 

Entrance:  Shaft;  105  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  3  to  4  feet;  averages  3  feet  10  inches. 

Character  of  the  coal :  The  rooms  and  entries  of  only  the  north  and 
west  sides  were  visited.  The  property  adjoins  that  operated  by  the  Silver 
Creek  Colliery  Company  on  the  east  and  it  is  probable  that  conditions  in 
the  adjacent  parts  of  the  two  mines  are  similar. 

At  the  face  the  coal  displays  a  slight  tendency  toward  benching.  Two 
“mud”  bands  a  quarter  of  an  inch  or  less  in  thickness  are  commonly  pres¬ 
ent,  one  about  8  inches  from  the  top  and  another  about  18  inches  from 
the  bottom.  These  are  not  persistent  in  the  Farmington  district,  and  even 


FULTON  COUNTY 


103 


in  the  National  mine,  are  not  continuous;  but  they  are  reported  in  at  least 
one  other  mine.  Their  presence  makes  it  necessary  for  the  miner  to  drill 
his  holes  so  that  they  end  above  the  upper  seam  and  below  the  lower; 
otherwise  the  middle  bench  will  break  away  from  the  upper  and  lower 
portions  of  the  bed. 

Impurities  other  than  the  clay  bands  noted  in  the  preceding  para¬ 
graph  are  not  common.  Horsebacks  of  either  the  clay  or  “spar”  variety 
seem  to  be  somewhat  less  common  than  in  most  of  the  mines  in  the  county. 
The  amount  of  pyrite  present  in  balls  and  lenses  is  small.  Although  no 
boulders  in  the  bottom  of  the  coal  were  observed,  their  occurrence  in  the 
adjoining  Silver  Creek  mine  would  indicate  that  they  may  be  found  or  at 
least  expected  occasionally  in  the  National  mine. 

Character  of  the  roof:  Roof  conditions  in  general  are  excellent. 
The  succession  is  similar  to  that  in  other  mines  in  the  vicinity,  namely, 
“draw  slate,”  about  3  inches;  “slate,”  8  to  14  inches,  averaging  about  10 
inches;  “clod,”  about  10  inches;  and  cap-rock,  about  18  inches.  In  some 
places  pre-glacial  erosion  channels  have  cut  down  nearly  to  the  coal,  so 
that  the  rock  above  the  seam  is  only  15  to  20  feet  thick.  Under  such  places 
the  roof  tends  to  be  weak,  so  that  the  rooms  cave  and  let  in  water.  Such 
falls  are  the  principal  difficulty  encountered  in  the  mine. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  floor  is  fire  clay  12  to  18  inches  thick  and 
has  hard  rock  below  it.  The  clay  heaves  but  little  if  any. 

GENUINE  NORRIS  COAL  MINING  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  1, 

AT  NORRIS 

Entrance:  Shaft;  180  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Varies  from  3  feet  9  inches  to  4  feet  2  inches; 
averages  4  feet. 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  is  without  benches,  and  contains  a 
few  streaks  of  clay  and  mother  coal  one-eighth  inch  or  less  in  thickness, 
none  of  them  regular,  and  here  and  there  a  pyrite  nodule  2  to  3  inches 
by  6  to  8  inches.  These  latter  are  not  common.  The  horsebacks  occur  in 
about  the  usual  frequency  and  size.  The  impurity  most  difficult  to  handle 
consists  of  the  floor  boulders.  These  are  masses  of  very  hard  brownish 
to  black  rock  occupying  the  lower  part  of  the  bed.  Some  are  nearly  3  feet 
thick  and  extend  laterally  4  to  5  feet.  They  are  similar  to  the  boulders 
noticed  in  the  mine  of  the  Silver  Creek  Colliery  Company  and  apparently 
consist  of  areas  of  silicification.  Pyrite  is  present  in  only  relatively  small 
amount  as  spar  sulphur  and  balls.  It  is  an  impurity  of  little  consequence 
in  this  mine. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  usual  roof  conditions  for  this  area  exist. 
The  “draw  slate”  is  persistent.  Best  mining  practice  in  this  mine  requires 
that  the  “draw  slate”  remain  up,  for  considerable  difficulty  is  experienced 
in  holding  the  black  “slate”  and  clod  after  the  “draw  slate”  falls.  The 
cap-rock  seems  to  be  fairly  good,  but  is  crossed  here  and  there  by  incipient 
cracks  which  widen  on  exposure  to  the  air,  thereby  loosening  the  rock. 

At  one  locality  in  the  mine  along  the  main  south  entry,  above  the 
black  “slate,”  a  massive  sandy  rock  is  present  v/hich  appears  to  be  a  very 
sandy  phase  of  the  cap-rock.  The  sandstone  “rolls”  down  through  the 
clod  so  that  it  rests  upon  the  black  “slate”  within  14  inches  of  the  coal. 
At  this  place  the  coal  also  dips  rather  sharply  beneath  the  roll.  This  is  the 


104 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


only  structural  irregularity,  other  than  the  clay  or  spar  slips,  that  has  been 
noted  in  the  county. 

The  “draw  slate”  is  a  limy  black  “slate"  containing  small  lenticular 
bodies  of  calcareous  sandstone  or  sandy  limestone  about  Vs  inch  thick  and 
1  inch  in  diameter.  In  places  it  becomes  very  calcareous  and  contains 
lenses  of  limestone  composed  of  shells  which  are  commonly  pyritiferous. 
The  niggerheads  seem  to  be  of  different  origin.  They  are  apparently  con¬ 
cretionary  and  generally  not  fossiliferous.  They  seem  to  be  embedded 
mainly  in  the  black  shale  or  “slate”  and  to  extend  down  into  the  “draw 
slate”  or  even  into  the  coal. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  floor  is  described  as  fire  clay  and  is  said 
to  be  about  2  feet  thick. 


SIMMONS  COAL  COMPANY’S  MINE,  AT  CANTON 

Entrance:  Shaft;  121  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Varies  from  4  to  414  feet;  averages  4  feet 
4  inches. 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  face  was  not  observed  in  this  mine. 
The  coal  is  reported  to  be  cut  by  fewer  horsebacks  than  usual  for  this 
area,  and  the  quantity  of  pyrite  is  also  small.  Some  bright  pyrite  in  balls 
is  present,  however.  No  boulders  in  the  floor  are  reported. 

The  coal  bed  is  interrupted  both  to  the  north  and  south  by  “faults.” 
They  appear  to  be  deposits  of  sand  and  gravel  made  in  pre-glacial  chan¬ 
nels,  the  floors  of  which  were  below  the  level  of  the  coal. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  roof  is  of  the  usual  character.  There  is 
generally  about  3  inches  of  “draw  slate”  present,  black  “slate”  with  clod 
above,  about  18  inches  thick  in  all,  and  the  ordinary  limestone  cap-rock 
4  to  10  inches  thick. 


CRIPPLE  CREEK  COAL  COMPANY’S  MINES  AT  BRYANT 

Entrance:  Drift;  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Varies  from  4  f:et  6  inches  to  5  feet  2  inches; 
averages  4  feet  8  inches. 

Character  of  the  coal :  The  coal  lies  in  benches  due  to  three  thin 
“soot”  or  mother-coal  bands,  8,  22,  and  31  inches  from  the  top  of  the  bed 
respectively.  Horsebacks  are  present  but  are  thin,  rarely  being  more 
than  2  to  3  inches  across.  Rolls  in  the  floor  are  usually  less  than  6  inches 
in  height.  In  most  of  the  rooms  the  coal  breaks  smoothly  V2  to  1  inch 
below  the  “slate,”  leaving  a  fairly  even  top,  a  condition  which  is  rather 
uncommon  for  this  area.  Niggerheads  generally  work  loose  and  fall  out 
and  then  the  rest  of  the  roof  up  to  the  cap-rock  falls  down.  Pyrite  is 
not  common. 

Character  of  the  roof :  The  general  succession  above  the  coal  is  the 
same  as  in  other  mines  in  the  area.  The  black  shale  and  clod  above  the 
coal  varies  in  thickness  from  3  to  5  feet  and  the  limestone  cap-rock  is 
4  inches  or  more  thick. 


FULTON  COUNTY 


105 


COAL  BEDS  BELOW  NO.  5  COAL 

In  Fulton  County  the  two  coals  which  represent  the  largest  re¬ 
source  are  beds  No.  2  and  No.  1.  The  former  seems  to  be  widespread 
east  of  its  outcrop.  It  is  thin,  but  in  many  records  of  drilling  it  varies 
between  2  feet  6  inches  and  3  feet,  so  that  very  probably  there  are  large 
areas  that  could  be  profitably  mined  later  if  not  now.  Fortunately  the 
need  for  the  exploitation  of  such  bodies  of  coal  does  not  exist.  No.  2 
coal  has  the  usual  soapstone  or  gray  shale  roof  commonly  found  over 
this  coal  in  northern  Illinois,  with  a  3-foot  bed  of  black  sheety  shale  at 
various  intervals  above  the  coal,  up  to  possibly  about  20  feet.  The 
roof  is  such  as  to  favor  the  longwall  system  of  extraction,  which  is 
practically  always  employed  where  the  coal  is  mined.  The  bed  is 
usually  fairly  free  from  impurities  and  the  coal  of  somewhat  better 
quality  than  the  coal  in  the  higher  beds  in  the  same  region. 

The  lower  coal,  No.  1  (Rock  Island)  bed  has  a  much  more  erratic 
distribution  than  have  the  upper  beds.  It  seems  to  be  fairly  persistent, 
but  varies  greatly  in  thickness  and  is  commonly  interrupted  by  lenses 
of  shale  which  would  render  it  unminable.  It  is  not  impossible,  al¬ 
though  the  possibility  is  gradually  being  lessened  by  drilling,  that  there 
are  areas  of  sufficient  size  to  be  of  importance  in  which  No.  1  coal 
attains  a  continuous  thickness  of  more  than  4  feet.  Its  normal  develop¬ 
ment,  however,  is  in  lenticular  bodies,  the  exploration  and  outlining  of 
which  is  expensive,  so  that  it  will  not  be  generally  undertaken  for  many 
years.  Furthermore,  the  roof  conditions  of  this  coal  are  irregular  and 
result  in  high  mining  costs.  Where  it  is  present  close  to  the  coal  the 
limestone  cap-rock  makes  an  excellent  roof ;  but  too  commonly  there  is 
a  mass  of  rather  loose  shale  between  the  coal  and  the  limestone  which 
under  present  practice  must  usually  be  moved.  The  irregular  char¬ 
acter  of  this  coal  makes  possible  the  discovery  of  small  areas  from 
which  large  returns  can  be  expected,  but  for  the  most  part  No.  1  prob¬ 
ably  is  not  as  important  a  resource  as  No.  2  coal. 

Intermediate  thin  coals  between  No.  2  and  No.  1,  each  generally 
less  than  a  foot  thick,  locally  thicken  so  as  to  be  workable.  Sometime 
there  will  no  doubt  be  an  eager  search  for  workable  areas  of  these 
coals,  but  at  present  they  seem  to  have  no  commercial  importance. 


KNOX  COUNTY 
Production  and  Mines 


Production  in  tons  year  ending  June  30,  1920 .  34,753 

Average  annual  production,  1916-1920 .  29,387 

Total  production,  1881-1920 . 1,866,061 


The  production  of  coal  from  Knox  County  in  1920  was  entirely 
from  wagon  or  local  mines,  about  three-fourths  from  No.  6  coal,  about 
one-fourth  from  No.  5,  and  a  small  amount  from  another  bed  possibly 
No.  1.  The  statistics  of  labor  tabulate  27  mines,  of  which  more  than 
half  are  drift  and  slope  mines.  The  county  ranked  thirty-ninth  among 
the  fifty-three  producers. 

Members  of  the  present  Survey  have  visited  only  four  operations 
in  the  county  and  none  of  these  is  now  in  operation.  The  outcrop  and 
structure  of  the  various  coals  have  never  been  determined,  and  for 
general  geological  conditions  reliance  is  placed  chiefly  upon  the  report 
by  Worthen  in  the  Geological  Survey  of  Illinois,  Vol.  IV,  pp.  313  to 
324.  His  account  of  the  coals  underlying  the  county  is  unfortunately 
confusing  because  of  the  wrong  identification  of  at  least  one  and  pos¬ 
sibly  other  coals,  and  because  of  general  uncertainty  as  to  correlation. 

Knox  and  Fulton  counties  occupy  a  corresponding  position  across 
the  outcropping  edges  of  the  commercial  beds  of  the  State.  All  the 
beds  of  commercial  importance  except  No.  7  and  possibly  No.  1  out¬ 
crop  within  the  county  in  more  or  less  parallel  belts  extending  north 
and  south.  No.  6  lies  near  the  east  line  and  what  is  possibly  No.  1 
near  the  west  line.  The  coal  of  greatest  importance  in  quantity  is 
probably  No.  5.  No.  2  probably  underlies  the  largest  area,  whereas 
No.  6  is  limited  to  a  small  area  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county, 
bounded  by  its  line  of  outcrop  on  the  west,  and  No.  1  is  limited  as  a 
commercial  coal  in  its  distribution  by  its  decrease  in  thickness  to  the 
east. 

Surficial  Deposits 

A  factor  which  greatly  hinders  the  development  of  the  consider¬ 
able  amount  of  outcrop  coal  in  the  county  is  the  covering  of  glacial 
drift. 

The  glacial  drift  is  generally  but  20  to  30  feet  in  depth,  but  in 
places  where  valleys  have  been  filled,  the  depth  may  reach  100  feet  or 
more.1 


lLeverett,  Frank,  Illinois  Glacial  Lobe:  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  Mon.  38, 
p.  676,  1898. 


106 


KNOX  COUNTY 


107 


The  upper  part  of  the  drift  is  composed  of  fine  yellowish  silt  or 
loess,  which  is  somewhat  more  widespread  than  the  glacial  clay  or  till 
and  is  especially  efifective  in  concealing  outcrops. 

The  position  of  the  pre-glacial  channels  which  cross  the  county 
has  not  been  determined. 


CoAU-BEARING  ROCKS 

It  is  believed  that  in  general  the  succession  of  coal-bearing  rocks 
in  Knox  County  is  the  same  as  in  Fulton  County  eastward,  and  the 
coals  outcrop  in  more  or  less  parallel  belts  extending  north  and  south. 
No.  6  coal  underlies  the  higher  parts  of  the  county  south  and  east  of 
Spoon  River,  with  No.  5  coal  outcropping  at  lower  levels.  North  of 
Spoon  River,  No.  6  coal  is  present  on  the  uplands  in  the  north  half  of 
the  county  as  far  west  as  Wataga,  Oneida,  and  possibly  Knoxville,  but 
it  is  probably  not  generally  present  south  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad. 
The  area  wherein  No.  5  coal  lies  nearest  the  surface  has  not  been  well 
defined,  due  to  some  extent  to  the  confusion  in  the  correlation  of  this 
coal.  Coal  which  is  described  by  Worthen1  as  No.  4  is  probably  No.  5, 
just  as  is  the  case  in  Fulton  County.  Other  coals,  such  as  that  mined 
at  Soperville,  which  have  been  called  No.  5,  are  still  lacking  definite 
correlation  but  appear  to  lie  below  No.  5  coal.  No.  2  coal  seems  to  be 
the  coal  nearest  the  surface  in  the  western  part  of  the  county  along 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  Railroad,  running  south  from 
Galesburg  through  Abingdon  and  St.  Augustine.  There  are  many 
outcrops  of  this  coal  along  Spoon  River  and  its  tributaries  at  relatively 
low  altitudes  in  the  county.  It  is  also  exposed  at  a  few  places  near 
the  western  edge  of  the  county  north  of  Galesburg.  No.  1  coal  is 
possibly  of  workable  thickness  along  Spoon  River  valley  near  the  south 
line  of  the  county,  since  it  is  being  worked  but  a  short  distance  south 
in  Fulton  County  at  Ell isville.  However,  as  elsewhere  in  the  State  the 
distribution  of  this  coal  is  irregular ;  whether  it  is  generally  present  in 
workable  thickness  is  doubtful. 

For  the  general  succession  in  the  county  we  are  dependent  upon  a 
few  records  of  scattered  drilling,  the  most  of  which  are  located  in 
Henderson  Township.  Other  holes  have  been  drilled  in  Lynn,  Gales¬ 
burg,  Copley,  Persifer,  and  Knox  townships. 

The  succession  in  Henderson  Township  is  illustrated  by  the  fol¬ 
lowing  drill  records : 


lGeological  Survey  of  Illinois,  Vol.  IV,  pp.  313-324. 


108 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Record  of  drilling  on  the  farm  of  J.  Snodgrass  in  the  STF.  44  NE.  44  sec.  10, 

T.  12  N.,  R.  1  E.,  Knox  County ,  Illinois. 

Estimated  elevation  about  800  feet  above  sea  level. 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Clay,  sandy... . . . 

20 

.... 

20 

— 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

Shale,  gray . . . . . . . 

33 

— 

53 

“Slate”,  dark . . . . . . 

2 

1 

55 

1 

Coal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

1 

2 

56 

3 

Shale,  gray . . 

2 

7 

58 

10 

Sandstone,  light . . . . 

3 

2 

62 

_ 

Shale,  light _ _ _ _ 

2 

2 

64 

2 

Sandstone,  light . . . . . 

1 

4 

65 

6 

Shale,  light _ _ _ _ 

15 

3 

80 

9 

“Boulder”  (limestone?),  light . . 

2 

2 

82 

11 

Shale,  grav . . . . 

8 

1 

91 

— 

Shale,  sandv  brown . . . 

30 

_ 

120 

_ 

Sandstone,  grav . . . — - 

15 

4 

135 

4 

Shale,  dark _ _ _ _ _ 

7 

11 

143 

3 

Limestone,  blue,  very  hard . . 

2 

.... 

145 

3 

Shale,  dark... _ _ _ 

7 

9 

153 

_ 

“Slate,”  dark.. _ _ _ 

1 

11 

154 

11 

Coal 

1 

7 

156 

6 

Coal,  impure  } (No.  1?) . .* 

— 

2 

156 

8 

Coal  J  [ 

_ 

4 

157 

— 

Fire  clay _ _ _ _ _ _ 

2 

— 

159 

.... 

Sandstone,  white _ _ _ _ 

8 

10 

167 

10 

Shale,  sandy,  light _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

4 

10 

172 

8 

Shale,  sandy,  gray.. . . . . 

7 

8 

180 

4 

Shale,  sandy,  light _ _ _ 

5 

8 

186 

.... 

Coal,  soft _ _ _ _ _ 

1 

— 

187 

.... 

Shale,  sandy,  light _ _ _ 

2 

2 

189 

2 

Shale,  lime _ _ 

4 

4 

193 

6 

Sandstone,  light.. _ _ _ _ 

3 

10 

197 

4 

Shale,  sandv,  light _ _ _ 

1 

4 

198 

8 

Sandstone,  light,  very  hard _ _ 

4 

2 

202 

10 

Shale,  sandv,  light _ _ _ _ 

7 

6 

210 

4 

Shale,  gray . . . 

2 

7 

212 

11 

Coal  . . . . . 

1 

2 

214 

1 

Shale,  gray,  sandy . . . . . . 

5 

11 

220 

.... 

Sandstone,  grav.— . . . . . 

— 

6 

220 

5 

Shale,  dark  ...  _ _ _ 

1 

8 

222 

2 

“Cap  rock”  (limestone?),  very  hare 

1 

1 

223 

3 

Coal,  impure.. . . . 

2 

4 

225 

7 

Sandstone,  gray,  hard.  . . 

— 

10 

226 

5 

KNOX  COUNTY 


109 


Record  of  drilling  on  the  farm  of  J.  Snodgrass — Concluded 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Sandstone,  light,  hard . 

3 

3 

229 

8 

Shale,  sandy,  light . . . . 

7 

4 

237 

_ 

Shale,  sandy,  gray _ _ _ _ _ 

10 

3 

247 

3 

Coal . . 

____ 

11 

248 

2 

Shale,  gray _ _ 

3 

6 

251 

8 

Shale,  light  gray.... _ _ _ _ _ _ 

4 

— 

255 

8 

Shale,  sandy,  gray . . . . 

8 

1 

263 

9 

Coal . . .  . . . 

3 

264 

>--• 

Fire  clay . . . . . 

1 

4 

265 

4 

Shale,  sandy,  gray . . . . 

4 

1 

269 

5 

Coal . 

2 

269 

7 

Shale,  sandy,  light _ _ 

.... 

10 

270 

5 

Sandstone,  light,  hard . . 

2 

8 

273 

1 

“Slate,”  dark . . . . . 

10 

6 

283 

7 

Sandstone,  light,  very  hard _ 

1 

6 

285 

1 

Shale,  dark . . . . . . 

36 

____ 

321 

1 

“Slate,”  dark,  hard _ _ 

15 

10 

336 

11 

Sandstone,  light,  hard . . . . 

2 

6 

339 

5 

Record  of  a  drilling  on  the  H.  Smith  farm  in  the  SE.  %  SW .  14  sec.  16,  T. 

12  N.,  R.  1  E.,  Knox  County,  Illinois. 

Estimated  elevation  about  750  feet  above  sea  level. 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Clay . . . . . 

26 

.... 

26 

.... 

Sand,  gray.... . . . . . . 

35 

4 

61 

4 

Sand  and  gravel . . 

5 

---- 

66 

4 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

Shale,  dark _ _  _ 

.... 

6 

66 

10 

Coal . 

3 

1 

69 

11 

Shale,  light .  ...  _ 

6 

9 

76 

8 

Coal . . . 

2 

76 

10 

Shale,  sandy,  brown _  _ 

6 

2 

83 

Sandstone,  dark . . 

7 

90 

.... 

Sandstone,  light . 

25 

.... 

115 

.... 

Shale,  gray,  light . 

3 

2 

118 

2 

Shale,  dark . . 

8 

6 

126 

8 

“Cap-rock”  (limestone?) . 

2 

128 

8 

Shale,  dark . 

7 

2 

135 

10 

Shale,  bituminous . . 

2 

3 

138 

1 

Shale,  light  gray . . 

1 

6 

139 

7 

Coal,  (No.  1?) . 

2 

3 

141 

10 

“False  bottom”  . 

.... 

4 

142 

2 

Fire  clay.... . 

1 

10 

144 

.... 

110 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


The  identification  of  the  coals  in  the  foregoing  records  is  not 
definite.  The  nine  holes  drilled  in  the  vicinity  of  Henderson  are  alike 
in  showing  a  coal  at  a  depth  of  125  to  150  feet  which  is  apparently  the 
coal  found  at  154  feet  11  inches  in  the  drilling  on  the  Snodgrass  farm 
and  at  139  feet  9  inches  in  the  drilling  on  the  Smith  farm.  The  pres¬ 
ence  of  a  hard  blue  limestone  cap-rock  a  few  feet  above  this  coal 
suggests  its  correlation  with  No.  1  coal  of  Mercer  and  Rock  Island 
counties.  It  is  thought  that  this  same  bed  is  worked  at  Soperville  by 
T.  H.  Milan  and  Company,  where  the  coal  is  100  feet  below  the  sur¬ 
face.  In  this  shaft  the  cap-rock  (or  “bed-rock,”  as  it  is  called)  is 
about  8  feet  above  the  coal.  The  seam  is  from  2  to  4 y2  feet  thick,  with 
an  average  thickness  of  about  4  feet.  If  this  is  No.  1  coal,  then  the 
stratigraphic  succession  in  northwestern  Knox  County  varies  from  that 
farther  south  in  that  the  Pottsville  formation  is  thicker  and  the  Car- 
bondale  formation  probably  thinner  to  the  south  and  southeast. 

It  is  believed  that  the  coal  underlying  Henderson  Township  is 
certainly  below  the  horizon  of  No.  5,  and  accordingly  that  this  part  of 
the  county,  as  well  as  Rio,  Galesburg,  Cedar,  Indian  Point,  Orange,  and 
Chestnut  townships  forms  part  of  District  III,  in  which  coals  No.  1  and 
No.  2  are  the  principal  coals  mined.  They  will  accordingly  be  included 
in  the  District  III  report.  It  is  believed  that  with  a  small  amount  of 
additional  field  work  the  correlation  of  the  coals  in  this  part  of  the 
county  can  be  satisfactorily  settled. 

The  coals  lying  below  No.  1  or  the  Soperville  coal  as  shown  in  the 
record  of  the  drilling  on  the  Snodgrass  farm  are  not  commonly  pres¬ 
ent  in  Illinois,  except  possibly  in  adjacent  parts  of  Henry,  Mercer,  and 
Rock  Island  counties.  Except  in  these  counties  200  feet  or  more  of 
Pottsville  is  unusual  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State.  It  is  possible 
that  locally  some  of  these  lower  coals  may  be  of  workable  thickness, 
but  they  are  not  known  to  be  worked  in  Knox  County. 

The  succession  in  Galesburg  Township  is  known  only  from  the 
logs  of  churn-drill  holes  for  water  made  by  the  city.  Although  these 
records  are  of  little  service  in  determining  the  character  of  the  strata, 
they  indicate,  however,  that  the  base  of  the  Pennsylvanian  strata  is  at 
a  depth  of  about  330  feet  below  the  surface  at  well  No.  3.  Of  this 
thickness  about  80  feet  is  drift  and  the  remainder  probably  Pottsville. 
At  Knoxville,  in  Knox  Township,  the  base  of  the  Pennsylvanian  is 
possibly  at  a  depth  of  480  feet,  as  indicated  by  the  deep  water  well 
record. 

The  following  record  is  that  of  a  diamond-drill  hole  near  Etherly 
in  Copley  Township,  the  exact  location  of  which  is  not  known: 


KNOX  COUNTY 


111 


Record  of  drilling  for  the  Etherly  Coal  Company,  near  Etherly,  T.  12  N., 

R.  3  E  ,  Knox  County,  Illinois. 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Clay,  yellow . . . 

33 

.... 

33 

— — 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

McLeansboro — 

Sandstone _ _ _ 

9 

.... 

42 

.... 

Shale,  light . . . . 

3 

.... 

45 

.... 

“Soapstone” . 

16 

.... 

61 

.... 

Limestone,  blue . 

1 

3 

62 

3 

Clay . 

6 

62 

9 

Carbondale— 

Coal  (No.  6)  . . 

4 

2 

66 

11 

Clay . 

.... 

6 

67 

5 

“Slate”. 

7 

7 

78 

.... 

Limestone _ _ _ _ 

5 

.... 

83 

.... 

“Soapstone”.  _ _ 

14 

.... 

97 

.... 

Shale,  dark _ _ _ 

30 

.... 

127 

.... 

Shale,  black...  _ 

18 

.... 

145 

“Slate”. 

6 

4 

151 

4 

Coal 

f 

••.. 

11 

152 

3 

“Slate” 

“(No.  5  coal?) . \ 

2 

.... 

154 

3 

Coal 

.... 

8 

154 

11 

Shale,  light _ _ _  _ _ _ 

12 

1 

167 

.... 

Clay.  ... 

5 

.... 

172 

.... 

Shale,  light _ 

34 

.... 

206 

.... 

Limestone _  _ 

2 

.... 

208 

.... 

Shale,  dark .  . . 

14 

.... 

222 

.... 

Clay,  fine _ _  .  _ 

8 

.... 

230 

.... 

“Soapstone,”  black _  ... _ 

17 

.... 

247 

.... 

Limestone . .  .  _ 

1 

.... 

248 

.... 

“Soapstone,”  black . 

2 

.... 

250 

Limestone . 

•  ••• 

4 

250 

4 

“Slate”. 

5 

8 

256 

.... 

Clay . 

.... 

9 

256 

9 

Coal  (No.  2)  . 

3 

6 

260 

3 

Pottsville — 

Clay _ 

1 

8 

261 

11 

Limestone . 

.... 

3 

262 

2 

Of  the  coals  listed  above,  it  is  probable  that  the  one  at  62  feet  9 
inches  is  No.  6  coal  and  the  one  at  256  feet  9  inches,  No.  2.  No.  5 
coal  does  not  seem  to  be  present,  though  it  may  be  represented  by  the 
thin  coals  at  151  feet  4  inches,  and  154  feet  3  inches.  The  interval 


112 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


between  Xo.  2  and  No.  6  in  this  drilling,  namely,  190  feet,  is  about 
the  same  as  it  is  in  Fulton  County. 

A  boring  near  Dahinda  in  Persifer  Township  penetrated  strata 
to  a  depth  of  220  feet,  beginning  apparently  about  30  feet  above  the 
level  of  Xo.  2  coal.  Xo  coal  was  encountered  below  No.  2.  The  record 
is  reproduced  below. 


Record  of  a  boring  near  Dahinda,  Knox  County,  on  the  Sargent  farm 

Drilled  19  H 


Description  of  Strata 

Thiel 

cness 

De] 

3th 

Quaternary  system — 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Clay,  sandv . . . 

6 

.... 

6 

.... 

Sand  and  gravel _ _ _ 

3 

6 

9 

6 

Sand,  gray . . . . 

13 

.... 

22 

6 

Sand . . . . . . 

1 

6 

24 

.... 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

Carbondale? — • 

Coal,  soft  drift _ 

2 

8 

26 

8 

Shale,  light _ _ _ _ _ 

3 

5 

30 

1 

Coal  (No.  2?)  . . . . . . . 

2 

9 

32 

10 

Potts  viller — 

Fire  clay . . . . . . 

2 

.... 

34 

10 

Sandstone,  light _ _ _ _ _ 

11 

7 

46 

5 

Shale,  sandy,  light  gray . . 

14 

.... 

60 

5 

Shale,  light . . . 

4 

10 

65 

3 

Sandstone,  gray. _ _ _ _ 

57 

8 

122 

11 

Sandstone,  light . . . . . . 

10 

6 

133 

5 

Sandstone,  gray . . . . . . 

11 

.... 

144 

5 

Shale,  sandy,  gray.... _ _ _ 

1 

4 

145 

9 

Shale,  dark . . . . 

1 

2 

147 

11 

Fire  clay . . . . . . . 

.... 

9 

148 

8 

Shale,  dark _ _ _ _ 

2 

1 

149 

9 

Fire  clay . . . . . 

4 

10 

154 

7 

Shale,  sandy,  gray . . . . . 

11 

2 

165 

9 

Shale,  dark . . . . . . 

2 

.... 

167 

9 

Limestone,  dark _ _ _ _ _ _ 

13 

.... 

180 

9 

“Slate,”  dark . . . . . . 

1 

4 

182 

1 

Shale,  light  sandy . . . 

3 

6 

185 

7 

Sandstone,  light . . . . 

4 

.... 

189 

7 

Sandstone,  hard,  white _ _ 

7 

2 

196 

9 

Shale,  gray . 

11 

2 

207 

11 

Shale,  light,  sandy . . . . 

8 

.... 

215 

11 

Sandstone,  light . . . . . . . . 

3 

6 

219 

5 

Shale,  light,  sandy . 

1 

4 

220 

9 

A  boring  in  the  extreme  northeast  corner  of  the  county  shows  a 
total  thickness  of  about  420  feet  of  drift  and  Pennsylvanian  strata.  If 


KNOX  COUNTY 


113 


the  record  can  be  relied  on,  the  stratigraphic  succession  in  the  locality 
seems  to  differ  considerably  from  that  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
county.  Although  there  is  little  basis  for  the  correlation  of  any  of  the 
coals,  a  tentative  correlation  is  suggested  in  the  record  which  follows : 


Record  of  coal  prospect  in  sec.  1,  T.  13  N.,  R.  U  E  ,  Knox  County 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Quaternary  system — 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Clav,  gravel  and  sand _ _ _ 

36 

_ 

36 

.... 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

McLeansboro — 

Sandstone,  gray _ _ _ _ _ _ 

9 

.... 

45 

_  _  _  _ 

“Slate,”  gray _ _ 

9 

54 

_ 

“Slate,”  dark _ _ _  ..... 

42 

_ 

96 

_ 

“Slate,”  dark,  gritty _ _ _ 

4 

.... 

100 

»... 

Carbondale — 

Coal  (No.  6)  _ _ _ _ 

.... 

4 

100 

4 

Fire  clav,  blue.. _ 

2 

9 

103 

1 

“Slate,”  light.......  . . . . . 

2 

105 

1 

Sand  rock,  gray _ _ 

5 

— 

110 

1 

“Slate,”  light.... _ _ _ _ 

4 

— 

114 

1 

Sand  and  rock,  gray _ _ _ _ 

5 

_ 

119 

1 

“Slate,”  light.... _ _ _ _ 

3 

_ 

122 

1 

“Slate,”  gritty,  gray  _ _ _ _ _ 

43 

165 

1 

“Slate,”  dark.... _ _ 

20 

____ 

185 

1 

“Slate,”  mild  black _ _ _ 

22 

8 

207 

9 

“Slate,”  gritty,  blue _ _ _ 

4 

.... 

211 

9 

“Slate,”  gray . . . . . . 

3 

9 

215 

6 

Coal  (No.  5)  . . 

2 

6 

218 

Fire  clav,  light.  . . 

2 

11 

220 

11 

“Slate,”  gray . .  ... 

5 

.... 

225 

11 

“Slate,”  dark.... _ _  _ _ 

2 

.... 

227 

11 

Shale,  light . . 

11 

238 

11 

Sand  rock,  gray..  . . . 

3 

.... 

241 

11 

“Slate,”  light _ _  . 

8 

.... 

249 

11 

Sand  rock,  gray . . 

12 

.... 

261 

11 

“Slate,”  dark . 

1 

8 

263 

7 

Coal  (No.  4)  . 

1 

10 

265 

5 

Sand  rock,  gray . 

2 

6 

267 

11 

“Slate,”  dark . 

6 

5 

274 

4 

Coal  (No.  3)  _  _ _ _ 

.... 

7 

274 

11 

Fire  clay,  light...  . 

3 

.... 

277 

11 

“Slate,”  dark . 

10 

.... 

287 

11 

“Slate,”  black .  . 

2 

.... 

289 

11 

“Slate,”  light .  .  . 

11 

.... 

300 

11 

“Slate,”  dark .  . 

16 

6 

317 

5 

Coal  (No.  2) . 

1 

1 

318 

6 

114 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Record  of  coal  prospect  in  sec.  1,  T.  13  N.,  R.  4  E.,  Knox  County — Concluded 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Pottsville — 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Fire  clay,  light . . . . 

1 

5 

319 

11 

“Slate,”  light _ . _ _ _ _ 

3 

.... 

322 

11 

Sand  rock,  light _ _ _ _ _ 

10 

.... 

332 

11 

“Slate,”  dark _ _ _ _  ... 

12 

.... 

344 

11 

Coal  (No.  1) . . . . . . 

.... 

11 

345 

10 

Fire  clay,  dark  blue . . . . 

4 

1 

349 

11 

Shale,  light . . . 

3 

.... 

352 

11 

Rock,  hard,  gritty,  white _ 

4 

4 

357 

3 

Lime  shale,  blue 

12 

8 

369 

11 

The  foregoing  represents  the  information  available  concerning 
coal  in  Knox  County,  aside  from  that  found  in  Volume  IV  of  the 
Geological  Survey  of  Illinois,  which  may  be  briefly  summerized  as 
follows : 

“No.  6  coal  is  found  principally  in  the  eastern  half  of  the  county.  It 
varies  in  thickness  from  4  to  6  feet  and  has  a  blue  band  lVz  to  2  feet  from 
the  floor.  The  coal  has  been  worked  probably  entirely  by  wagon  mines,  in 
T.  13  N.,  R.  2  E.,  sec.  36;  in  T.  12  N.,  R.  4.  E.,  secs.  4,  5,  17,  18,  19, 
29,  30,  31  and  32;  in  T.  12  N.,  R.  3  E,,  secs.  1,  10,  11,  18,  19  and  20;  in 
T.  12  N.,  R.  2  E.,  secs.  12,  13,  15,  22,  23  and  24;  in  T.  11  N.,  R.  3  E.,  secs. 
3,  4  and  5;  in  T.  10  N.,  R.  4  E.,  sec.  15;  in  T.  9  N.,  R.  4  E.,  secs.  23,  24,  31, 
and  probably  32  and  33;  and  in  T.  9  N.,  R.  3  E.,  in  sec.  35.  The  coal  has 
a  limestone  cap-rock  which  in  places  is  4  feet  thick. 

“The  coal  is  only  found  in  the  higher  portions  of  the  county,  which 
are  principally  in  the  eastern  half,  and  north  of  Spoon  River  in  the  western 
half  of  Victoria  Township,  T.  12  N.,  R.  4  E.,  and  northwest  part  of  T.  12 
N.,  R.  3  E.,  Copley  Township,  and  east  part  of  Sparta,  T.  12  N.,  R.  2  E.” 

No.  5  coal  (Worthen  No.  4?)  lies  40  to  60  feet  below  No.  6  and 
commonly  varies  between  3  and  4  feet  in  thickness.  Mines  have  been 
operated  in  this  coal  in  sec.  25,  T.  12  N.,  R.  4  E.,  and  in  secs.  2  and  3, 
T.  13  N.,  R.  1  E.,  possibly  along  Sugar  Creek  in  T.  12  N.,  R.  3  E., 
secs.  9,  16,  32,  and  along  Middle  Creek  in  T.  11  N.,  R.  2  E.,  and  sec. 
25,  T.  11  N.,  R.  1  E.,  sec.  3,  T.  9  N.,  R.  4  E.,  and  secs.  26  and  27, 
T.  10  N.,  R.  4  E. 

This  coal  underlies  more  of  the  county  than  does  No.  6;  it  is 
probably  present  in  T.  13  N.,  Rs.  2,  3,  and  4  E.,  and  the  eastern  part 
of  R.  IE. 

No.  2  coal  is  generally  from  lTA  to  3.  feet  thick  and  of  good 
quality  in  comparison  with  other  coals  in  the  county.  It  has  been 
worked  in  secs.  20,  21,  29,  30,  32,  and  33,  in  T.  12  N.,  R.  1  E. ;  in  secs. 
16  and  23,  T.  11  N.,  R.  2  E. ;  in  secs.  13,  19,  22,  23,  and  35,  T.  11  N., 


KNOX  COUNTY 


115 


R.  3  E. ;  at  various  places  in  Truro  Township,  T.  11  N.,  R.  4  E.,  along 
Spoon  River ;  in  secs.  8,  16,  19,  29,  T.  10  N.,  R.  3  E. ;  in  secs.  14,  22, 
23,  25,  26,  27,  29,  33,  34,  T.  10  N.,  R.  2  E.  ,  These  operations  are  by 
drifting  or  stripping.  There  were  no  shafts  to  No.  2  when  Worthen’s 
report  was  written  in  1870. 

No.  1  coal  (Worthen  correlation)  was  worked  in  one  place  in 

sec.  21,  T.  12  N.,  R.  1  E.,  where  it  is  6  feet  thick.  It  was  worked  by  a 

shaft  30  feet  deep.  This  is  probably  the  same  bed  now  worked  at 

Soperville.  ,,  -» T 

r  Mine  Notes 

Detailed  information  about  the  mines  in  Knox  County  is  very 
meager.  Four  mines  have  been  visited  by  members  of  the  Survey, 
none  of  which  is  now  in  operation. 

The  following  data  are  available  concerning  these  operations : 

MINE  OF  ALBERT  WALBURG,  KNOXVILLE 

Wagon  mine. 

Entrance:  Shaft,  45  feet  in  depth.  Coal  mined  is  probably  No.  5. 
The  coal  is  cut  by  numerous  vertical  clay  “veins”  which  pass  into  the  coal, 
some  from  the  floor  and  others  from  the  roof.  A  section  of  the  bed  is 
measured  about  300  feet  southwest  of  shaft,  as  follows: 

Section  of  coal  at  Walburg  mine 

Thickness  Thickness 

of  coal 

Ft.  in.  Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Shale,  black .  2 

Sulphur  .  2 

Coal  .  1  10  ) 

Sulphur  .  V2  t  2  5 

Coal  .  6  Vs  j 

Floor:  Fire  clay .  1 


JOHN  D.  YOUNG  MINE,  NEAR  ABINGDON 

Drift  mine,  operating  No.  2  coal,  with  an  average  thickness  of  2  feet, 
but  varies  from  20  to  26  inches.  The  coal  is  bright,  hard,  with  brownish 
streaks.  It  breaks  into  cubical  pieces,  with  a  conchoidal  fracture.  Sulphur 
occurs  in  irregular  lenses  at  various  places  in  the  bed.  The  following 
section  was  measured  about  100  feet  southeast  of  entrance: 


Section  of  coal  at  Young  mine 

Thickness 


Roof:  Shale  gray 

Coal  . 

Sulphur  . 

Coal  . . 

Floor:  Fire  clay 


Ft. 

6 

1 


Thickness 
of  coal 
Ft.  in. 

•  •  •  • 

1  11% 


3 


116 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


The  roof  is  fine  gray  shale,  falling  in  layers  2  to  4  inches  thick.  It 
has  a  thickness  of  6  feet  or  more.  The  floor  is  a  shale  or  fire  clay  at  least 
3  feet  thick. 

MINE  OF  PENDERGAST  BROS.,  AT  SOPERVILLE 

Entrance:  Shaft  120  feet  deep,  to  No.  1  coal.  The  record  of  the  shaft 
is  as  follows: 

Record  of  Pendergast  shaft 

Thickness  Depth 


Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Drift  . 

.  10 

,  , 

10 

•  • 

“ Soapstone,”  gray  . 

.  85 

•  • 

95 

•  • 

“Slate”  . 

.  2 

6 

97 

6 

Coal  . 

.  1 

10 

99 

4 

Shale,  blue  . 

.  7 

#  # 

106 

4 

Limestone,  white,  flinty . 

.  1 

2 

107 

6 

Limestone,  bluish  . 

.  7 

114 

6 

Coal  (No.  1). . 

.  5 

#  . 

119 

6 

This  is  apparently  No.  1  coal  of  Mercer  and  Rock  Island  counties. 
Another  coal,  about  40  feet  lower,  outcrops  in  places  along  the  creek. 
The  coal  was  measured  in  2d  room  north,  on  the  east  side  of  shaft  about 


75  feet  east  and  100  feet  north  of  opening. 

Section  of  coal  in  Pendergast  mine 

Thickness 

Thickness 

Ft. 

in. 

of 

Ft. 

coal 

in. 

Roof:  Limestone .  7 

Coal  . 

Black  jack  . 

Coal  .  2 

7  ' 

2 

•  • 

3 

5% 

Sulphur  . 

Coal  . 

Floor:  Fire  clay .  4 

% 

8V2 

j 

MINE  OF  GALVA  MINING  CO.,  NEAR  WATAGA 

Shaft  mine,  68  feet  6  inches  to  the  floor.  Coal  averages  4  feet  in 
thickness,  varying  from  3  feet  4  inches  to  4  feet  2  inches.  The  cap-rock 
is  black  to  gray  shale,  iy2  to  4  feet,  with  a  limestone  cap-rock  3  feet  or 
more  thick.  The  coal  was  measured  at  the  2d  north  entry  about  450  feet 
from  the  shaft. 

Section  of  coal  in  Galva  mine 

Thickness  Thickness 

of  coal 


Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Roof:  Gray  to  black  shale . 

.  1 

6+ 

Coal  . 

.  1 

2  1 

Sulphur  and  soft  shale . 

V2 

Coal  . 

10 

2 

ioy2 

Shale,  soft  (blue  band?) . 

.  22 

2 

Coal  . 

8 

LOGAN  COUNTY 
Production  and  Mines 


Production  in  tons  year  ending  June  3,  1920 .  2,263,222 

Average  annual  production  1916-1920 .  452,644 

Total  production,  1881-1920 . 10,130,415 


Logan  County  produced  a  little  more  than  y2  of  1  per  cent  of  the 
total  output  for  Illinois  during  the  year  ending  June  30,  1920,  and 
ranked  twenty-third  in  the  State.  Two  mines,  both  at  Lincoln,  are 
now  being  operated  in  this  county,  one  by  the  Latham  Lincoln  Coal  and 
Mining  Company,  and  the  other  by  the  Citizens  Coal  Mining  Company. 
Table  6  is  a  list  of  the  shipping  mines  and  data  concerning  them. 


Surficiae  Deposits 

The  rock  succession  in  Logan  County  is  known  only  as  it  is  shown 
by  the  records  of  three  drill  holes  and  of  three  shafts.  The  drill  holes 
are  located  at  Atlanta  and  near  Lincoln  and  the  shafts  at  Lincoln  and 
at  Mt.  Pulaski.  One  of  the  drill  holes  at  Atlanta  does  not  enter  rock, 
although  it  is  151  feet  deep. 

According  to  Worthen1  the  outcrops  in  this  county  are  limited  to 
certain  exposures  of  limestone  along  Salt  Creek  in  T.  19  N.,  Rs.  3  and 
4  W.  Most  of  the  county  is  thickly  covered  by  drift.  In  the  vicinity 
of  Atlanta  the  drift  has  a  known  thickness  of  over  200  feet.-  The 
character  of  the  material  in  the  drift  sheet  is  shown  by  the  following 
record  of  a  drilling  at  Atlanta. 


Log  of  the  well  at  the  waterworks  at  Atlanta,  Illinois 


Description  of  strata 
Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Soil,  black  . 

Clay,  yellow  . 

Clay,  blue  . 

Sand  and  gravel . 

Clay,  blue  . 

Sand  and  gravel . 

Clay,  white,  and  sand.. 
Clay,  blue,  with  gas... 
Sand,  white,  and  gravel 
Sand  . 


Thickness 

Depth 

Feet 

Feet 

3 

3 

.  15 

18 

.  10 

28 

,  .  10 

38 

2 

40 

9 

49 

7 

56 

3 

59 

.  .  10 

69 

6 

75 

lGeology  of  Illinois,  Vol.  4,  p.  184,  1870. 

2Leverett,  Frank,  Illinois  Glacial  Lobe:  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  Mon.  38, 
pp.  205  and  206,  1899. 


117 


118 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Log  of  the  Atlanta  ivell- — Concluded  Thickness  Depth 

Description  of  strata  Feet  Feet 

Sand,  dry,  and  gravel  with  gas .  13  88 

Clay,  blue  .  4  92 

Clay,  sand,  gravel,  and  gas .  16  108 

Hardpan  .  9  117 

Drift,  black  .  6  123 

Clay,  white  .  2  125 

Clay,  green  ...  7 .  4  129 

Hardpan  .  10  139 

Gravel  and  water .  12  141 


A  less  detailed  record  of  another  boring  at  Atlanta  shows  that  the 
drift  has  a  thickness  of  at  least  217  feet  in  this  vicinity. 


Record  of  a  coal  prospect  near  Atlanta,  Illinois 
Description  of  strata 


Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Soil  . 

Clay,  yellow  . 

Clay,  blue . 

Hardpan  . 

Drift,  black  . 

Clay,  green  . 

Hardpan  . 

Gravel  with  water . 

Gravel  and  sand,  cemented. 
Sand  and  gravel  with  water 
Clay  and  gravel  and  sand.  . 

Loam,  yellow  . 

Sandstone,  yellow  . 

Clay,  soft,  pink . 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

“Soapstone”  . 

Limestone  . 

Fire  clay  . 

Limestone  (?)  . 

Shale  with  clay.. . 

“Slate”  . 

Coal  (No.  5?) . 

Fire  clay  . 

Limestone  . 


Thickness 

Depth 

Feet 

Feet 

3 

3 

.  17 

20 

.  50 

70 

.  55 

125 

8 

133 

7 

140 

o 

CO 

170 

2 

172 

.  18 

190 

3 

193 

.  14 

207 

4 

211 

1 

212 

5 

217 

3 

220 

1 

221 

3 

224 

.  53 

277 

.  40 

317 

A  7 

324 

\  4 

328 

.  •  1 

329 

.'  1 

330 

As  the  northern  part  of  the  county  is  crossed  by  a  glacial  moraine, 
the  drift  is  thicker  there  than  it  is  in  the  southern  part.  At  Lincoln 
and  Mt.  Pulaski  records  show  that  the  glacial  covering  is  generally 


Bis 


LOGAN  COUNTY  119 

•  if' 

between  75  and  100  feet  deep.  Because  of  the  difficulties  attendant 
upon  sinking  shafts  through  unconsolidated  material  the  desirability  of 
given  areas  for  mining  operations  becomes  less  as  the  thickness  of  the 
drift  increases.  Accordingly  the  exploitation  of  the  coal  resources  of 
the  northern  part  of  Bogan  County  will  probably  be  greatly  delayed 
with  respect  to  the  development  of  the  southern  part,  especially  as  the 
character  and  thickness  of  the  coal  is  apparently  as  good  in  the  south¬ 
ern  portion  as  it  is  in  the  northern. 

CoAL-BEARTNG  ROCKS 

The  character  of  the  coal-bearing  strata  of  the  county  is  known 
from  the  record  of  the  Atlanta  coal  prospect  given  above,  and  the  few 
outcrops  noted  above,  and  from  the  following  records  of  three  other 
holes : 


Record  of  the  shaft  of  the  Citizens  Coal  Mining  Company, 

Lincoln,  Illinois 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Soil  and  clay _ _ _ _ _ 

18 

_ 

18 

.... 

Drift . . .  . 

3 

_ 

21 

.... 

Clay,  blue .  ..  . 

8 

_ 

29 

— 

Hardpan _ _ 

16 

— 

45 

— 

Sand  and  water . . 

16 

61 

_ 

Sand  and  hardpan  (water) _ 

24 

_ 

85 

_ 

Gravel,  coarse... . . 

3 

88' 

_ 

Hardpan . . 

1 

5 

89 

5 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

McLeansboro — 

Fire  clay . . .  . 

3 

5 

92 

10 

Limestone,  impure _  ..  .... 

20 

.... 

112 

10 

Shale,  black . 

1 

5 

114 

3 

Fire  clay . 

2 

.... 

116 

3 

Clay,  red  and  white . 

12 

128 

3 

Fire  clay . 

2 

.... 

130' 

3 

“Conglomerate” . 

12 

.... 

142 

3 

“Slate,”  brown... 

30 

172 

3 

“Slate,”  black.. 

4 

176 

3 

Coal  (No.  7)  . 

1 

5 

177 

8 

Fire  clay . 

10 

.... 

187 

8 

Sandstone,  blue . 

22 

.... 

209 

8 

“Slate,”  black . 

1 

210 

8 

120 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Record  of  the  shaft  of  the  Citizens  Coal  Mining  Company — Concluded. 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Carbondale — 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Coal  (No.  6?)  . . . 

1 

---- 

211 

8 

Fire  clay . . . . . 

3 

5 

215 

1 

Sandstone,  blue...  . . . . . 

18 

.... 

233 

1 

“Soapstone” _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

3 

...„ 

236 

1 

Rock,  fine  blue... .  . . . 

7 

.... 

243 

1 

Shale,  blue . . . 

18 

.... 

261 

1 

Limestone . . . . . . 

1 

6 

262 

7 

“Slate,”  black........ _ _ _ _ 

3 

4 

265 

11 

Coal  (No.  5)  . . . . . . 

5 

2 

271 

1 

Record  of  a  boring  for  oil  in  the  NE.  %  sec.  3 ,  T.  19  N.,  R  2  W., 

Logan  County 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Soil . . . . . . 

19 

. _ 

19 

Gravel .  . . 

20 

39 

.... 

Quicksand _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

14 

.... 

53 

.... 

Clay  and  sand  in  streaks . . . 

18 

.... 

71 

.... 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

Limestone,  shell . . . . . 

2 

73 

.... 

Shale,  sandy . . . . 

20 

_ 

93 

.... 

Shale,  blue,  mucky . . . . . . 

8 

— 

101 

.... 

Quicksand  and  water _  _ 

25 

— 

126 

.... 

Shale  (mud),  blue . . 

7 

_ 

133 

.... 

Limestone,  hard,  flinty  (Lonsdale?).... 

12 

---- 

145 

.... 

Shale,  red,  sandy . . . . . 

15 

160 

.... 

Shale  (“marrow”?),  blue _ _ _ _ 

5 

_ 

165 

.... 

Limestone,  shell . . . 

2 

_ 

167 

.... 

Shale,  red . . . . . 

10 

_ 

177 

.... 

Shale  (“marrow”?),  blue . . 

30 

_ 

207 

.... 

Limestone,  shell . .  . 

2 

____ 

209 

.... 

Shale,  white . . . 

16 

225 

.... 

“Slate,”  blue . . . . . 

4 

6 

229 

6 

Limestone,  shell... . . . . . 

1 

.... 

230 

6 

Coal,  (No.  5) _ _ _ _ _ 

4 

.... 

234 

6 

Shale,  white _  _ _ 

20 

.... 

254 

6 

Shale,  blue . . . . . . 

3 

6 

258 

— 

Shale,  white . . . . . . 

20 

278 

.... 

Limestone,  shell . . . . . 

1 

_ 

279 

.... 

Shale,  black . . . . . . . 

7 

____ 

286 

.... 

“Slate  ”  blue . . . . . 

3 

289 

.... 

“Slate,”  white.... _ _ _ _ _ .— 

20 

_ 

309 

.... 

Limestone,  white;  water . 

10 

.... 

319 

.... 

LOGAN  COUNTY 


121 


Record  of  a  boring  for  oil  in  the  NE.  14  sec.  3,  T.  19  N.y  R.  2  W., 

Logan  County — Concluded 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

“Slate,”  white . . . . . . 

101 

.... 

420 

.... 

“Slate,”  sandy,  black _ _ _ 

5 

.... 

425 

.... 

Shale,  white . . . . . . 

98 

.... 

523 

.... 

Shale,  blue . . . . . . . 

2 

.... 

525 

Shale,  white . . . . 

5 

.... 

530 

“Slate,”  black . . . . . . . 

30 

.... 

560 

“Slate.”  white _ _ _ _ _ 

5 

.... 

565 

.... 

Shale,  dark . . . . . . . . 

12 

.... 

577 

.... 

“Slate,”  white . . . . . 

33 

610 

Shale,  black . . . 

15 

.... 

625 

Sand,  black;  gas  and  water . 

10 

.... 

635 

.... 

“Slate.”  white . . . 

4 

.... 

639 

.... 

Coal . . . . . 

.... 

6 

639 

6 

Shale,  blue . . . . . 

20 

6 

660 

.... 

“Slate,”  white . . . . . 

12 

.... 

672 

Shale,  black,  sandy . . . 

14 

686 

.... 

Shale,  white . . . . . . . 

10 

.... 

696 

.... 

Mississippian  system — 

Limestone . . . . 

25 

721 

Sandstone . . . . . . 

3 

.... 

724 

.... 

“Slate,”  white;  streaks  of  limestone 

18 

.... 

742 

.... 

Limestone . 

20 

.... 

762 

.... 

Sandstone;  salt  water . 

8 

.... 

770 

Limestone . . . 

4 

.... 

774 

.... 

Shale,  sandy . 

5 

779 

“Cap  rock” . . . 

1 

6 

780 

6 

Sand,  gas . . . 

1 

6 

782 

---- 

“Cap  rock” . . . . . 

7 

789 

____ 

Limestone,  hard  and  soft  layers . 

81 

«... 

870 

.... 

Shale,  sandy,  dark . 

3 

.... 

873 

“Cap  rock” . 

3 

.  _ .  _ 

876 

.... 

Sandstone;  salt  water . 

14 

.... 

890 

“Soapstone” .  . 

1 

.... 

891 

.... 

Shale,  dark .  . 

3 

.... 

894 

.... 

“Cap  rock,”  hard . 

1 

.... 

895 

.... 

“Cap  rock” . 

2 

.... 

897 

.... 

Sandstone,  dark . 

.... 

4 

897 

4 

Sandy  shale,  dark . . 

1 

•••• 

898 

4 

“Cap  rock” . 

1 

.... 

899 

4 

Sandstone;  gas . 

4 

899 

8 

Rock,  very  hard . 

8 

4 

907 

122 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Record  of  a  coal  mine  shaft,  Mount  Pulaski,  Illinois 1 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Quaternary  system — - 

Pleistocene  and  Recent 

Drift  clay  and  gravel _ _ _ 

92 

— 

92 

.... 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

Shale,  sandy . 

20 

_ 

112 

.... 

Limestone . . . . . .  .. 

1 

_  _  _  _ 

113 

Fire  clay . . . . . 

1 

6 

114 

6 

“Slate,”  gray . 

20 

— 

134 

6 

Shale,  sandy _ _ _ 

40 

_ 

174 

6 

Limestone _ _  _ 

2 

_  _  _  _ 

176 

6 

Shale,  black _ 

1 

.... 

177  . 

6 

Coal  (No.  8?)  _ _ _ _ 

1 

6 

179 

.... 

Fire  clay _ _ _ _ 

2 

_ 

181 

.... 

Shale,  clay _ _ _ _ 

4 

_ 

185 

.... 

Shale,  gray,  sandy _ _ _ 

60 

— 

245 

.... 

Limestone,  conglomeratic .  . 

15 

_ 

260 

.... 

Shale,  clay..—  . . . . 

2 

262 

.... 

“Slate,”  black _ _ _  .... 

1 

__  _  _ 

263 

Coal . . . . 

.... 

6 

263 

6 

Fire  clay . . . 

.... 

6 

264 

.... 

“Slate,”  black _ _  ... 

.... 

10 

264 

10 

Coal . . . . . 

4 

265 

2 

Fire  clay _ _ _ 

____ 

8 

265 

10 

Shale,  reddish . 

10 

_ 

275 

10 

Sandstone _ _ _ 

30 

_ 

305 

10 

Shale,  sandy,  clay.... _ 

30 

.... 

335 

10 

Limestone,  black... 

8 

_ 

343 

10 

Coal  (No.  5)  . .  . 

4 

_ 

347 

10 

Fire  clay _ _ _ _ 

4 

.... 

351 

10 

The  foregoing  records  differ  so  much  from  one  another  that  it  is 
impossible  to  make  a  generalization  that  is  of  much  value  in  regard  to 
rock  succession  in  the  county.  The  only  workable  coal  in  the  section, 
however,  seems  to  be  No.  5,  at  least  under  present  conditions.  The 
only  drill  hole  penetrating  the  horizon  of  No.  2  coal  is  the  oil  prospect, 
and  as  this  was  drilled  by  a  churn  drill,  the  details  are  not  to  be  relied 
upon  for  accuracy.  The  absence  of  a  coal  which  can  be  correlated  with 
No.  2  in  this  record  is  of  no  great  significance. 


lGeological  Survey  of  Illinois,  Vol.  8,  p.  51,  1890. 


LOGAN  COUNTY 


123 


Mine  Notes 

MINE  OF  THE  CITIZENS  COAL  MINING  COMPANY,  AT  LINCOLN 

Entrance:  Shaft;  266  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Averages  5  feet  2  inches;  maximum  observed, 
6  feet. 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  bed  lies  in  a  single  bench  with  no  per¬ 
sistent  partings.  It  contains  a  few  thin  streaks  of  mother  coal  or  “black¬ 
jack”  (pyritized  mother  coal),  commonly  less  than  tV  of  an  inch  in  thick¬ 
ness.  Pyrite  lenses  and  balls  are  uncommon  in  the  coal.  Horsebacks  are 
numerous  and  vary  in  width  from  mere  cracks  with  pyrite  filling  to  open¬ 
ings  3  to  4  inches  in  width,  filled  with  clay.  Rarely  the  horsebacks  or 
clay  slips  are  as  much  as  2  feet  across.  As  a  general  thing  the  clay  veins 
do  not  seem  to  be  quite  so  hard  and  difficult  to  handle  as  are  those  in 
some  of  the  mines  in  the  Peoria  region.  However,  the  expense  of  the  dead 
work  produced  because  of  the  presence  of  the  clay  vein  is  a  considerable 
handicap  against  the  profitable  operation  of  this  mine. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  immediate  roof  is  a  black  shale  which  in 
places  is  hard  and  sheety,  carrying  niggerheads.  Over  much  of  the  mine, 
however,  the  black  shale  is  more  massive,  softer  and  thicker,  and  tends 
to  break  out  in  chunks  rather  than  in  sheets.  This  sort  of  roof  is  difficult 
to  hold,  especially  as  the  limestone  cap-rock  is  also  thin  or  absent  at  these 
places.  The  cap-rock  is  a  thin  gray  to  whitish  limestone,  discontinuous 
in  distribution  and  varying  considerably  in  thickness,  but  generally  present. 
Where  the  black  “slate”  is  hard,  sheety,  and  about  3  feet  thick,  the  cap- 
rock  is  generally  believed  to  be  present,  and  to  be  thicker  and  harder  than 
elsewhere,  possibly  12  to  15  inches  thick.  That  this  is  actually  the  case 
must  be  inferred  from  the  few  places  where  the  “slate”  has  been  taken 
down,  as  under  ordinary  conditions  it  does  not  fall  so  that  the  roof  can 
be  seen.  Elsewhere  the  limestone  is  more  clayey,  softer,  thinner,  and  in 
places  entirely  absent. 

Between  the  coal  and  the  better  “slate”  roof  there  is  generally  a 

%-inch  sheet  of  pyrite,  which  sticks  to  the  roof  rock  and  remains  up. 

Where  the  pyrite  is  present  in  this  manner,  the  roof  is  easier  to  hold; 
and  the  absence  of  the  pyrite  band  generally  indicates  that  roof  conditions 
will  be  bad. 

Character  of  the  floor:  Underclay  lies  beneath  the  coal.  It  has  not 
been  penetrated  but  is  known  to  be  5  to  6  feet  thick  in  places.  The  clay 
heaves  some  when  it  is  wet. 

The  mine  encounters  some  difficulty  in  handling  the  water  that  enters 
the  shaft  from  a  gravel  bed  45  to  61  feet  from  the  surface,  as  shown  in 

the  record  given  above.  It  is  evident  that  this  water  was  not  properly 

sealed  off  at  the  time  the  shaft  was  sunk. 

MINE  OF  THE  LATHAM  LINCOLN  COAL  COMPANY,  AT  LINCOLN 

Entrance:  Shaft;  280  feet  to  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  4  feet  8  inches  to  5  feet  3  inches; 
averages  5  feet. 


124 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Sections  of  the  coal: 

SECTIONS  OF  NO.  5  COAL  IN  MINE  OF  LATHAM  LINCOLN  COAL  COMPANY, 

LINCOLN,  ILLINOIS 

Section  1 — Room  3,  off  first  stub  off  straight  south  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Black  shale  . 

Coal,  clean,  hard .  5 

Mother  coal,  soft .  y2 

Coal,  dirty  .  2  4 

Pyrite  .  y8 

Coal,  clean  and  bright .  3 

Pyrite  lens  .  % 

Coal,  dirty,  bright .  1  10 Vz 


5  0 


Sectioji  2 — Room  1,  off  second  right  off  straight  east  entry 

Thickness 

Ft.  in. 


Roof :  Black  shale  . 

Coal,  clean,  bright,  hard 

Mother  coal  . 

Coal,  fairly  clean . 

Mother  coal  . 

Coal,  dirty  . 

Pyrite  . 

Coal,  very  dirty . 


3 

% 


2  4V2 


10y2 


Section  3 — Room  2,  off  second  stub  off  third  right  off  north  entry  1 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof :  Black  slate  . 

Pyrite  . : .  V* 

Coal,  fairly  clean  and  hard .  2  % 

Mother  coal  .  i/i 

Coal,  dirty  .  2 

Pyrite  .  1 

Coal,  dirty  .  1  SV2 

Coal,  bony  (pyrite  and  black  jack) .  2% 

Coal,  very  dirty .  1  21/; 

Floor:  Underclay  . 


5 


% 


iU.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  Bull  22,  p.  497. 


LOGAN  COUNTY 


125 


Section  If — 1,600  feet  N.  E.  of  shaft,  room  1,  third  entry  off  main 

cross  entry  on  the  northwest  side  1  Thickness 

Ft.  in. 


Roof :  Shale 

Coal  . 

Sulphur  .  .  . 

Coal  . 

Sulphur  .  . . 

Coal  . 

Floor:  Shale 


10 

y2 

3  6 

% 

6 


4  10% 


1  1 - 

—  i  •  i 

-  '  ~~  l 

~T  -  1  ~  1 

l  1 - 

~  i "  r 

1  1 

- — 1 - 1  L_ I_ 1  1  Limestnnfl  (  (  II  1  1 

.  J_ L 

AAA  , 

A 

-  1 

1  ~TA 

1  1 

i  i  r  i  i  i  l  a  \a  r:ir  i 

Fig.  7. — Sketch  of  a  clay  vein  (‘‘horseback”)  in  the  Latham-Lincoln  Coal 

Company’s  mine  at  Lincoln. 


Section  5 — 1,500  feet  southeast  of  shaft  in  room  11  off  the  third 

south  stub  Thickness 


Ft.  in. 

Roof :  Shale  . . . 

Coal  .  4% 

Shale  .  % 

Coal  .  9 

Sulphur  .  y8 

Coal  .  3  8 

Floor:  Shale  . . . 


iOp.  cit. 


4 


10% 


126 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  lies  in  a  single  bench  with  no  per¬ 
sistent  impurities.  There  are  thin  mother-coal  partings  and  the  lower  2 
inches  of  the  bed  in  places  contains  bony  coal.  There  is  very  little  pyrite 
present.  Usually  also  the  top  2  inches  of  the  coal  is  bony.  Clay  veins 
or  “horsebacks  ”  are  rather  numerous.  The  accompanying  reproduction  of 
a  sketch  of  one  of  the  clay  veins  (fig.  7)  shows  the  way  in  which  it  plays 
out  in  the  roof  shale. 

Character  of  the  roof :  The  roof  is  a  carbonaceous  and  sheety  black 
“slate,”  commonly  about  3  feet  thick.  Above  the  “slate”  is  a  few  inches 
of  dark  shale  or  clod  upon  which  lies  the  cap-rock.  This  is  a  dark-gray 
fossiliferous  limestone,  the  bottom  of  which  is  nodular  and  uneven.  The 
thickness  of  the  cap-rock  averages  8  to  10  inches,  but  varies  from  1  to  18 
inches.  Overlying  the  cap-rock  there  is  usually  soapstone  or  gray  shale. 
At  the  base  of  the  black  “slate”  and  in  contact  with  the  coal  there  is 
usually  a  shell  of  pyrite  2  to  3  inches  thick.  This  generally  stays  up, 
forming  a  good  roof.  Niggerheads  are  common  along  the  contact  of  the 
coal  and  “slate.” 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  fire  clay  is  said  to  be  12  feet  thick.  It 
slakes  in  the  air  and  heaves  when  wet. 

MINE  OF  MT.  PULASKI  COLLIERY  COMPANY  (ABANDONED),  AT  MT. 

PULASKI,  ILLINOIS 

Entrance:  Shaft  365  feet  deep.  Figure  possibly  refers  to  depth  to 
the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  3  feet  6  inches  to  4  feet  4  inches, 
averaging  4  feet. 

Section  of  the  coal: 

Section  of  No.  5  coal  in  mine  of  the  Mt.  Pulaski.  Colliery  Company, 

Mt.  Pulaski,  Illinois 

Room  9  off  back  east  entry  off  main  south;  200  feet  from  shaft 


Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

Coal  .  1  9 

Pyrite  .  1 % 

Coal  . : . .  1 


2  10% 

Character  of  the  coal :  The  coal  is  all  fairly  hard  and  blocky.  Pyrite 
is  present  in  regular  streaks  but  is  fairly  common.  Clay  veins  or  “horse¬ 
backs”  are  numerous,  varying  in  thickness  from  2  inches  to  2  feet. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  roof  is  black  “slate”  up  to  4  feet  in  thick¬ 
ness. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  underclay  beneath  the  seam  is  said  to  be 
10  feet  thick.  It  tends  to  heave  somewhat. 


McLEAN  COUNTY 

Production  and  Mines 


Production  in  tons,  year  ending  June  30,  1920 .  43,357 

Average  production,  1916-1920 .  71,308 

Total  production,  1881-1920 . 5,478,350 


McEean  County  ranked  37th  in  1920,  having  a  total  production  of 
about  0.05  per  cent  of  the  entire  output.  The  output  was  from  one 
mine,  that  at  Bloomington.  The  Colfax  mine  reported  no  production. 
Table  6  gives  data  concerning  both  mines. 

Surficial  Deposits 

Like  most  of  the  counties  in  central  Illinois,  McLean  County  is 
covered  by  glacial  drift,  and  in  this  county  its  thickness  averages  prob¬ 
ably  over  200  feet.  Leverett1  makes  the  following  statement  concern¬ 
ing  the  thickness  of  the  drift : 

“The  drift  is  of  great  depth,  averaging  probably  over  200  feet. 
Records  of  ten  deep  borings  were  obtained  which  reach  rock  at  an  average 
of  155  feet,  but  twenty-one  others  have  an  average  depth  of  174  feet 
without  entering  rock.  The  drift  is  apparently  thinnest  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county,  where  rock  is  struck  at  about  100  feet-  The  drift  in 
the  central  and  southern  portions  has  a  depth  of  200  to  250  feet.  Buried 
soils  are  found  at  two  or  more  horizons  at  depths  usually  of  100  feet  or 
more,  but  on  the  plain  outside  the  morainic  system  a  soil  occurs  at  40 
feet  or  less.  The  drift  above  the  first  buried  soil  is  usually  a  soft  blue 
till.  At  greater  depths  the  till  is  frequently  found  to  be  very  hard,  as  in 
the  neighboring  counties  to  the  north  and  northeast,  already  discussed. 
In  some  of  the  deep  borings  a  large  amount  of  sand  and  gravel  is  found 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  drift.  Many  wells  have  been  sunk  to  a  depth  of 
150  to  200  feet  in  order  to  reach  the  water-bearing  beds  beneath  the  blue 
till,  there  being  only  a  small  amount  of  water-bearing  gravel  interbedded 
with  the  blue  till.” 

CoAE-BEARING  ROCKS 

Because  of  the  thick  covering  of  glacial  material  and  the  con¬ 
sequent  lack  of  outcrops,  the  geology  of  the  coal-bearing  rocks  can  be 
determined  only  by  borings  or  shafts.  The  only  available  information 
of  the  sort  is  the  record  of  two  drill  holes  at  Saybrook,  and  three  drill 
or  shaft  records  at  Bloomington.  The  record  of  a  deep  boring  for  oil 
at  Heyworth  is  too  generalized  to  be  of  service  in  these  studies. 

Such  of  these  records  as  are  not  confidential  are  reproduced  here¬ 
with. 

lLeverett,  Frank,  Illinois  Glacial  Lobe:  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  Mon.  38. 
p.  693,  1899. 


127 


128 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Record  of  the  shaft  of  the  Bloomington  Coal  Company1 


Description  of  Strata  ~  Thickness  Depth 

Quaternary  system —  Ft.  Ft. 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Surface  soil  and  brown  clay .  10  10 

Clay,  blue  .  40  50 

“Hardpan,”  gravelly  .  60  110 

Mold,  black;  pieces  of  wood,  etc .  13  123 

“Hardpan”  and  clay  .  89  212 

Mold,  black,  etc .  6  218 

Clay,  blue  .  34  252 

Quicksand,  buff  and  drab;  fossils .  2  254 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

McLeansboro — 

Shale,  clay  .  16  270 

Sandstone  .  32  302 

Shale,  clay  .  1  303 

Coal  (No.  6  or  7)  .  4  307 


Record  of  the  shaft  of  the  McLean  County  Coal  Company, 

Bloomington,  Illinois. 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Surface  soil  and  gravel _ _ _ _ 

19 

7 

19 

7 

Clay,  blue . . . . 

61 

2 

80 

9 

Sand  (water) . 

4 

.... 

84 

9 

Clay,  blue . . . . . 

76 

4 

161 

1 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

McLeansboro  and  Carbondale — 

“Soapstone” . . . 

39 

— - 

200 

1 

Limestone . . . . 

1 

____ 

201 

1 

Clay,  blue . . . . . 

35 

5 

236 

6 

Clay,  yellow . . 

15 

10 

252 

4 

Shale . . . . . . . . 

4 

.... 

256 

4 

Sandstone,  soft,  grav . 

11 

.... 

267 

4 

Limestone,  hard,  conglomerate _ _ 

12 

6 

279 

10 

“Soapstone” . 

5 

.... 

284 

10 

Coal  (No.  7?) . 

3 

6 

288 

4 

Fire  clay . 

9 

3 

297 

7 

Sandstone,  gray . 

4 

.... 

301 

7 

“Soapstone” . 

22 

6 

324 

1 

Shale,  dark . . . 

8 

6 

332 

7 

“Soapstone” . 

9 

6 

342 

1 

Fire  clav . 

10 

— - 

352 

1 

lGeol.  Survey  of  Illinois,  Vol.  IV,  pp.  178  and  186. 


MCLEAN  COUNTY 


129 


Record  of  the  shaft  of  the  McLean  County  Coal  Company — Concluded 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Shale,  gray . 

22 

____ 

374 

1 

Shale,  black  (“slate”) . 

5 

_ _ 

379 

1 

Coal  (No.  5) . 

4 

4 

383 

5 

Fire  clay . 

10 

____ 

393 

5 

“Slate” . 

3 

_  _  _  _ 

396 

5 

Fire  clay . 

4 

6 

400 

11 

Sandstone . . . . . . 

20 

6 

421 

5 

“Soapstone” . . . . . . 

62 

5 

484 

10 

Shale,  black  (“slate”) . 

2 

7 

486 

5 

Fire  clay . 

1 

7 

488 

“Sulphur”  rock .  ... 

1 

2 

489 

2 

Shale,  gray . 

11 

1 

500 

3 

Shale . . . 

1 

2 

501 

5 

Limestone,  hard. . . . 

2 

1 

503 

6 

Shale,  gray . 

2 

8 

506 

2 

“Soapstone” . . 

6 

8 

512 

10 

Coal  (No.  2) . 

3 

8 

516 

6 

Pottsville — 

“Soapstone,”  coal,  and  “slate” 

25 

541 

6 

Record  of  a  drilling  near  Say  brook,  in  the  SE.  xk  NW.  %,  sec.  28, 

T  23  N.,  R.  0  E. 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Quaternary  system — 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Soil,  dark . 

4 

4 

Clay,  blue . 

2 

6 

Gravel . 

2 

6 

8 

6 

Clay,  blue . 

20 

28 

6 

Clay,  blue,  with  some  sand  and 

pebbles... . 

10 

____ 

38 

6 

Sand,  coarse,  with  some  clay . 

12 

.... 

50 

6 

Gravel,  coarse,  mixed  with  sand . 

45 

.... 

95 

6 

Clay,  hard,  and  gravel . 

55 

.... 

150 

6 

Quicksand . 

3 

153 

6 

Clay,  blue . 

4 

.... 

157 

6 

Clay,  hard,  and  gravel . 

36 

6 

194 

.... 

Sand  and  gravel;  water . 

3 

.... 

197 

.... 

Sand,  coarse,  gray . 

11 

.... 

208 

.... 

Clay,  soft,  blue . 

1 

.... 

209 

Sand  and  fine  gravel . 

2 

.... 

211 

.... 

Sand  and  gravel,  cemented . 

12 

.... 

223 

.... 

Sand,  fine,  with  small  boulders . 

11 

234 

Sand,  soft . 

1 

6 

235 

6 

Sand,  coarse,  red . 

2 

6 

238 

.... 

130 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Record  of  drilling  near  Saybrook — Concluded 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Sandstone,  soft,  red . . . 

1 

.... 

239 

.... 

Limestone . . . 

____ 

8 

239 

8 

“Soapstone”  and  shale.... . 

10 

9 

250 

5 

Shale,  black,  and  coal _ _ 

_ _ 

6 

250 

11 

Shale . 

16 

. ... 

266 

11 

Limestone . . 

7 

267 

6 

Shale,  blue . 

6 

6 

274 

.... 

Shale,  with  streaks  of  limestone . 

14 

.... 

288 

.... 

Shale,  dark . 

1 

.... 

289 

.... 

“Soapstone” . . 

3 

6 

292 

6 

Shale . . . . . 

4 

.... 

296 

6 

Shale,  with  spots  of  limestone . 

14 

310 

6 

Limestone,  hard . . 

15 

6 

326 

.... 

Limestone  and  shale . 

8 

.... 

334 

.... 

Shale . . . 

19 

6 

353 

6 

Shale  and  sandv  shale . . . . . 

51 

_ 

404 

6 

Shale,  blue,  tough... . . . . 

8 

7 

413 

1 

Shale,  soft,  in  loose  lavers . . 

7 

_ 

420 

1 

Shale,  black,  and  coal. . . . . . 

____ 

4 

420 

5 

Coal  (No.  7?) . 

2 

6 

422 

11 

Clay,  soft . 

— 

8 

423 

7 

Shale,  with  some  sandy  shale . . 

94 

.... 

517 

7 

Sandstone . 

6 

.... 

523 

7 

Shale,  sandy,  gray . . . . 

2 

.... 

525 

7 

Shale,  black . 

1 

.... 

526 

7 

Shale,  dark,  with  limestone  bands.... 

5 

6 

532 

1 

Limestone,  hard,  fine . 

_ 

6 

532 

7 

Coal  (No.  6?) . 

1 

.... 

533 

7 

Shale,  clav . 

5 

.... 

538 

7 

“Soapstone” . . . 

3 

.... 

541 

7 

Shale,  clay,  bluish . 

14 

.... 

555 

7 

Shale,  bluish,  soft . . . . . 

16 

.... 

571 

7 

Shale,  gray,  hard . . 

2 

9 

574 

4 

Coal,  cannel 

5 

4 

579 

8 

Coal  /(No-  5?>  . 1 

3 

.... 

582 

8 

Fire  clay  and  shale . . . . . . 

6 

8 

589 

4 

The  interpretation  of  the  records  is  practicable  to  a  certain  extent. 
The  lowest  coal  at  Bloomington,  at  512  feet  10  inches,  is  No.  2  coal,  or 
the  same  bed  that  is  mined  in  the  Longwall  field.  The  middle  bed  at 
379  feet  is  No.  5  or  Springfield  coal.  Both  of  these  beds  are  worked 
in  the  McLean  County  Coal  Company’s  mine  at  Bloomington.  The 
upper  coal  at  285  feet  is  either  No.  6  or  No.  7  coal,  but  the  probabilities 


3 


Ol 


100- 


200- 


300- 


400- 


500- 


60CH 


700- 


800- 


-< 


-  - .  -  y  Pleistocene 


*■  McLeansboro 


-  Carbondale 


Pottsville 


LEGEND 


Shale 


Clay 


Sandy  Shale 


Sandstone 


X  X  X  X  X  X 

X  X  X  X  X  X 

.  V.  •  v 

X  X  X  X  X  X 

•V-'-vV-:. 

Fireclay 


Sand 


"I~  1" 


Coal 


Limestone 


Fig.  8. — Graphic  sections  showing-  the  Pennsylvanian  succession  at  La  Salle, 

Bloomington,  and  an  intermediate  point. 

1.  La  Salle  2.  Toluca.  3.  Bloomington. 


PENNS  YL  VAN  IAN 


132 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


seem  to  be  that  it  is  No.  7,  although  Worthen  regarded  it  as  No.  6. 
It  seems  probable  that  this  upper  bed  is  the  same  as  the  upper  bed  at 
La  Salle,  which  is  considered  to  be  No.  7.  North  from  Bloomington 
the  Pennsylvanian  section  resembles  closely  the  section  in  the  La  Salle 
field  west  of  the  La  Salle  anticline  as  may  be  noted  from  a  comparison 
of  the  accompanying  graphic  sections  (fig.  8)  showing  the  succession 
at  La  Salle,  Bloomington,  and  an  intermediate  point,  Toluca. 

The  coals  encountered  in  the  drilling  at  Saybrook  can  not  be 
definitely  identified,  as  neither  the  thickness  nor  the  intervals  between 
the  coals,  or  the  associated  strata  are  characteristic.  The  writer  is 
inclined  to  regard  the  lowermost  coal  and  overlying  cannel  coal  as 
No.  5  coal,  and  possibly  the  other  two  coals  are  No.  6  and  No.  7, 
respectively,  in  their  order  of  occurrence  above  No.  5.  It  is  unfor¬ 
tunate  that  the  drill  did  not  penetrate  to  a  greater  depth,  as  there  is  a 
possibility  that  there  are  coals  below  590  feet,  which  can  not  be  proved 
without  exploring  the  entire  thickness  of  Pennsylvanian  strata. 

It  seems  quite  probable  that  McLean  County  is  very  largely  if  not 
entirely  underlain  by  three  workable  beds  of  coal.  The  upper  bed  may 
be  eroded  in  places  and  is  probably  not  as  desirable  as  are  the  other 
two  beds.  This  coal  is  probably  No.  7  of  the  Illinois  section,  which  is 
the  same  as  the  Streator  coal  and  the  upper  or  First  Vein  at  La  Salle. 
The  second  bed  is  the  No.  5  or  Springfield  coal,  which  is  the  same  as 
the  Second  Vein  coal  at  La  Salle,  formerly  mined  at  Cherry  and  now 
mined  by  the  Matthiessen  and  Hegeler  Zinc  Company  at  La  Salle.  The 
lowest  bed  is  No.  2  (La  Salle)  or  Third  Vein  coal. 

The  coal  mined  at  Colfax  is  apparently  the  upper  bed,  either 
No.  6  or  No.  7. 

Field  notes  are  available  for  two  mines  in  McLean  County. 


Mine  Notes 


MINE  OF  THE  COLFAX  COAL  COMPANY,  AT  COLFAX 


Entrance:  Shaft;  406  feet  deep;  No.  6?  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  4  to  6  feet;  averages  5  feet  6  inches. 
Section  of  the  coal : 

Section  of  the  coal  in  the  mine  of  the  Colfax  Coal  Company 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof :  Gray  shale 

Coal  . 

Pyrite  and  clay. 

Coal  . 

Pyrite  . 

Coal  . 

Floor:  Underclay 


3  11% 

% 

11% 

iy2 

4 


5% 


5 


MCLEAN  COUNTY 


133 


Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  lies  in  three  benches.  The  bottom 
coal  is  bony  and  dull,  with  small  bands  of  shale.  The  middle  11%  inches 
has  a  dull  luster  with  no  shale  bands;  the  upper  3  feet  11%  inches  is  a 
very  bright,  glossy  hard  coal.  The  seam  has  no  regular  bands  of  sulphur 
but  this  impurity  is  present  in  irregular  lenses. 

Although  this  coal  has  been  designated  as  No.  6  by  the  State  inspector, 
it  does  not  possess  the  identifying  characteristics  such  as  the  “blue  band” 
and  the  limestone  cap-rock  carrying  the  characteristic  fossil  Girtyina 
ventricosa.  The  coal  also  lacks  the  characteristics  that  might  correlate  it 
with  No.  5,  namely,  the  black  shale  roof  and  “horsebacks”  or  clay  slips. 
The  conditions  at  Colfax  possibly  resemble  those  found  in  the  mines  at 
Fairbury  and  Pontiac,  the  coal  in  each  of  these  places  being  worked  under 
a  gray  shale  roof.  However,  facts  do  not  warrant  a  definite  correlation 
of  the  Colfax  coal  with  that  at  Fairbury  and  Pontiac.  Furthermore, 
whether  the  Pontiac  coal  should  be  correlated  with  No.  5,  No.  6,  or  No.  7, 
or  with  any  of  these  coals  is  a  question.  The  permanent  closing  of  the 
mine  at  Colfax  will  probably  make  definite  correlation  of  this  coal  impos¬ 
sible  without  considerable  drilling. 


MINE  OF  THE  MCLEAN  COUNTY  COAL  COMPANY,  AT  BLOOMINGTON 

Two  seams,  No.  5  and  No.  2,  are  operated  from  this  shaft. 

NO.  2  COAL 

Entrance:  Shaft;  depth  to  the  coal  513  feet. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Averages  3  feet  8  inches;  the  coal  maintains  a 
very  uniform  thickness. 

Sections  of  the  coal : 


Sections  of  No.  2  coal  in  the  mine  of  McLean  Comity  Coal  Company, 

at  Bloomington 

Section  1 — Room  21,  5th  south  off  straight  west  entry 

Thickness 


Ft.  in. 

Roof:  Gray  shale  or  “soapstone” . 

Pyrite  .  % 

Coal,  clean,  hard,  and  bright .  9% 

Mother  coal  .  % 

Coal,  clean  and  bright .  6% 

Mother  coal  .  % 

Coal,  fairly  clean .  1  3 

Bone  .  % 

Coal,  dirty  .  5 

Floor:  Dark  underclay . 


o 

o 


1V2 


134 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Section  2 — Face  of  straight  west  entry,  7,000  feet  from  shaft 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Gray  shale . 

Coal,  clean,  bright,  hard .  1  4 

Bone  and  pyrite .  % 

Coal,  clean,  dull,  and  hard .  1 

Bone  .  % 

Coal,  dull,  bony .  6 

Floor:  Fire  clay . 

2  11 


Section  5 — Room  No.  3  off  5th  north  off  main  west  entry, 


7,300  feet  from  the  shaft  Thickness 

Ft.  in. 

Roof:  Black  shale  . 

Coal,  hard,  clean,  and  bright .  IOV2 

Mother  coal  and  bone .  V2 

Coal,  clean  and  hard .  5 

Mother  coal  .  14 

Coal,  clean  and  bright .  1  1 

Bone  .  % 

Coal,  soft,  dirty .  6V2 

Floor:  Underclay  . 

3  6Y2 


Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  lies  in  a  single  bench.  It  is  hard 
and  tough,  but  seems  to  be  lighter  and  cleaner  than  the  upper  bed  (No.  5). 
Pyrite  balls  are  rather  common,  but  are  easily  separated  from  the  coal. 
There  are  also  lenses  of  “black  jack,”  which  apparently  consists  of  mother 
coal  impregnated  with  pyrite.  These  lenses  are  about  as  hard  as  pure 
pyrite  nodules.  There  is  a  fairly  continuous  band  of  pyrite  4  to  8  inches 
above  the  bottom  of  the  bed.  This  is  lenticular  in  character,  the  lenses 
thickening  up  to  about  1  inch.  About  1  foot  from  the  top  there  is  a 
streak  of  dirty  coal  4  to  5  inches  thick  in  part  of  the  mine.  The  pyrite 
balls  attain  a  thickness  of  6  to  8  inches  by  24  inches  across,  but  more 
commonly  they  are  1  to  IV2  inches  thick  and  6  to  8  inches  across.  This 
coal  is  said  to  be  dry  because  it  does  not  “sweat”  like  the  upper  coal. 

Character  of  the  roof :  The  typical  roof  is  gray  shale,  called  “soap¬ 
stone,”  which  is  generally  about  10  feet  thick.  In  places,  however,  it  has 
a  thickness  of  20  feet,  and  in  other  places  is  absent,  the  black  “slate” 
which  elsewhere  overlies  it  resting  here  upon  the  coal.  The  “soapstone’’ 
resembles  in  all  respects  the  shale  roof  of  No.  2  coal  noted  at  La  Salle 
and  in  the  Pottstown  mine  in  Peoria  County.  It  is  a  fine-grained  gray 
shale,  containing  small  nodules,  which  weather  to  a  brownish  color.  The 
black  sheety  shale,  or  “slate,”  also  resembles  its  counterpart  in  the  La 
Salle  and  Peoria  regions.  It  is  about  3  feet  thick  and  in  places  contains 
large  niggerheads  or  limestone  concretions.  The  coal  is  reported  to  be 
somewhat  thinner  under  the  black  “slate”  than  under  the  gray  shale. 
Where  the  shale  overlies  the  coal  and  contains  large  niggerheads,  they 


MCLEAN  COUNTY 


135 


may  extend  well  down  into  the  coal,  cutting  it  out  in  a  small  area.  The 
coal  under  the  “slate”  is  spoken  of  by  the  miners  as  being  “depressed,” 
as  though  it  had  been  crushed.  There  is  said  to  be  more  pyrite  in  the 
coal  in  this  situation;  this  opinion  could  not  be  verified,  however,  although 
it  may  be  the  case. 

The  miners  speak  of  the  gray  shale,  overlying  the  black  shale,  as  the 
cap-rock.  There  is  no  true  limestone  or  sandstone  within  a  short  distance 
above  the  coal. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  underclay  below  the  coal  is  said  to  have 
a  thickness  of  about  3  feet.  This  clay  heaves  somewhat.  The  gob  from 
the  mine  including  the  floor  clay  has  been  used  in  brick  manufacture  by  a 
neighboring  plant  within  recent  years. 


Fig.  9. — Section  of  the  slope  between  No.  2  and  No.  5  coals  in  the  McLean 
County  Company’s  mine  at  Bloomington,  showing  diagrammatically  the 
character  of  the  intervening  strata  and  the  cracking  resulting  from 
subsidence. 


no.  5  COAL 

Entrance:  A  slope  extends  from  the  upper  seam  to  No.  2  coal  down 
which  the  coal  is  run  to  the  shaft,  where  it  is  hoisted  to  the  top.  The 
bottom  of  No.  5  coal  lies  at  a  depth  of  380  feet,  according  to  Worthen,1 
there  being  an  interval  of  about  130  feet  between  the  two  coals.  The 
slope  between  the  beds  shows  the  character  of  the  intervening  strata  and 
the  effect  of  subsidence  is  clearly  shown  in  the  walls.  The  section  as  meas¬ 
ured  roughly  and  the  amount  of  cracking  in  evidence  is  given  herewith 
and  is  shown  diagrammatically  in  Fig.  9. 


lGeological  Survey  of  Illinois,  Vol.  4,  p.  185,  1870. 


136 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Section  of  strata  measured  in  slope  between  No.  5  and  No.  2  coals  in  mine 

of  the  McLean  County  Coal  Company 


Description  of  Strata 

Thief 

.ness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Coal  (No.  5) . . . 

4 

4 

Fire  clay . 

2 

_ 

6 

____ 

Shale  and  sandy  shale . . . . 

12 

_ 

18 

.... 

Shale,  black . . . 

.... 

11 

18 

11 

Coal . . . . . . 

.... 

1 

19 

Fire  clay . 

5 

24 

_  _  _  _ 

Shale,  sandy  and  clay  shale.. . 

15 

____ 

39 

Shale,  lime;  few  cracks  near  bottom 

60 

_ 

99 

_ 

Shale,  gray,  cracked _ _ 

5 

_ 

104 

____ 

“Slate,”  black;  not  cracked _ 

1 

_ 

105 

.... 

Shale,  limy;  cracked  slightly . 

5 

__  __ 

110 

.... 

“Slate,”  black;  few  cracks . . 

1 

____ 

111 

_ 

Shale,  gray  (cap-rock);  cracked _ 

15 

.... 

_ 

“Slate,”  black;  few  cracks . . 

3 

_ 

129 

_ 

Shale;  “Soapstone”;  cracked . . 

11 

.... 

140 

.... 

The  preceding  section  may  be  compared  with  the  following  log  of  the 
shaft  between  the  two  coals  as  given  by  Worthen.1 


Section  of  strata  between  No.  5  and  No.  2  coal  encountered  in  the  shaft 

of  the  McLean  County  Coal  Company 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Coal  (No.  5) _ _ 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Fire  clay . . . . . . . 

10 

_ 

10 

.... 

“Slate” . . . . . . . 

3 

.... 

13 

.... 

Fire  clay . . . 

4 

6 

17 

6 

Sandstone _ _ _ _ 

20 

6 

38 

.... 

“Soapstone” . . . . . . 

62 

5 

100 

5 

Slate,  black _ _ _ 

2 

7 

103 

.... 

Fire  clay . . 

1 

7 

104 

7 

Sulphur  rock _ _ _ 

1 

2 

104 

9 

Slate,  gray . . 

11 

1 

116 

10 

Shale . . . . 

1 

2 

118 

.... 

Limestone,  hard _ _ _ 

2 

1 

120 

1 

Slate,  gray . 

2 

8 

122 

9 

“Soapstone” . . . . 

6 

8 

129 

5 

Coal  (No.  2).. 

3 

8 

133 

1 

Thickness  of  coal:  Averages  about  4  feet,  varying  from  about  3  feet 
8  inches  to  4  feet  6  inches.  The  bed  maintains  a  nearly  uniform  thickness. 


iOp.  cit. 


MCLEAN  COUNTY 


137 


Sections  of  the  coal: 

Sections  of  No  5  coal  in  the  mine  of  the  McLean  County  Coal  Company, 

Bloomington ,  Illinois 

Section  1 — Face  of  straight  west  entry  Thickness 

Ft.  in. 

Roof:  Black  shale  . 

Coal,  clean,  hard,  bright .  1  614 

Pyrite  .  Vs 

Coal,  clean,  bright,  hard .  1014 

Pyrite  .  Vs 

Coal,  clean,  bright,  hard .  9 

Pyrite  .  Vs 

Coal,  fairly  clean,  hard . • .  11 


4  1% 

Section  2 — Straight  east  entry,  600  feet  from  shaft 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

Roof :  Black  “slate” . 

Coal,  bright  .  1  8 

Sulphur  .  1 

Coal,  bright  . 5 

Sulphur  .  14 

Coal,  bright  .  1  4 

Sulphur  .  14 

Coal,  dull  .  3 

Floor:  Fire  clay . 


3  9% 

Section  3 — North  side  of  pillar,  150  feet  from  shaft 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

Roof:  Black  “slate”  . 

Coal,  bright  .  1  714 

Sulphur  .  % 

Coal,  bright  .  4 

Sulphur  .  % 

Coal,  bright  .  7 

Sulphur  .  Vs 

Coal  .  2 

“Blackjack”  .  14 

Coal,  bright  .  5 

“Blackjack”  .  9 

Coal,  bright  .  9 

Floor:  Underclay  . 


10% 


4 


138 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  is  rather  impure  because  of  numerous 
pyrite  streaks  and  plates,  and  numerous  horsebacks.  The  pyrite  plates 
are  commonly  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  thickness  and  not  readily 
removed  from  the  coal,  though  an  attempt  to  reject  all  pyrite  is  made. 
None  of  the  pyrite  lies  persistently  at  one  horizon.  The  horsebacks  are 
of  the  usual  sort;  they  are  somewhat  harder  than  those  found  in  the 
Peoria  region,  however,  due  to  the  unusually  high  pyrite  content.  Pyrite 
veins  or  “spar”  veins  are  also  rather  common.  The  coal  is  also  commonly 
impregnated  with  pyrite  for  several  inches  either  side  of  a  clay  or  “spar” 
vein,  so  that  the  percentage  of  coal  discarded  on  account  of  the  horse¬ 
backs  is  high.  In  general,  the  coal  presents  no  unusual  characteristics. 

Character  of  the  roof :  The  immediate  roof  is  a  very  fine  black 
shale,  1  to  7  inches  in  thickness,  which  is  almost  a  cannel  coal.  The  con¬ 
tact  between  the  coal  and  “slate”  is  very  close,  the  upper  part  of  the  coal 
and  the  slate  commonly  being  “frozen”  by  an  intervening  layer  of  pyrite, 
so  that  usually  the  upper  2  to  5  inches  of  the  coal  is  left  in  the  roof.  A 
persistent  layer  of  nodular  limestone  about  IV2  inches  thick  lies  above  the 
lower  black  “slate”;  overlying  this  another  black  “slate”  about  11  inches 
thick,  containing  streaks  of  limestone.  This  is  overlain  by  dark  gray 
shale,  which  is  black  when  wet  and  which  is  called  “soapstone.”  It  is  be¬ 
tween  1  and  2  feet  thick  and  is  overlain  by  a  hard  gray  shale  known  as 
the  “cap-rock.”  There  is  no  very  good  contact  between  the  last-mentioned 
strata  and  it  is  probable  that  they  grade  into  each  other. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  underclay  of  No.  5  coal  is  2  to  3  feet 
thick.  It  has  no  unusual  characteristics. 


MACON  COUNTY 
Production  and  Mines 


Production  in  tons  year  ending  June  30,  1920 .  218,820 

Average  annual  production,  1916-1920 .  252,426 

Total  production,  1881-1920 . 10,783,991 


In  1920  Macon  County  ranked  twenty-sixth  among  the  counties 
of  the  State,  having  a  coal  production  of  about  .3  per  cent  of  the 
entire  Illinois  output.  There  were  three  shipping  mines  in  operation, 
all  working  No.  5  coal,  two  at  Decatur,  operated  by  the  Macon  County 
Coal  Company  and  the  Decatur  Coal  Company,  and  one  at  Niantic, 
operated  by  the  Niantic  Carbon  Coal  Company.  Table  6  lists  the 
shipping  mines  and  gives  data  concerning  them. 

COAE-BEARING  ROCKS 

Lying  below  a  cover  of  drift,  which  has  an  average  thickness  of 
100  feet,  are  the  coal-bearing  rocks  of  Macon  County  varying  in 
thickness  from  800  feet  or  less  to  1,100  feet.  They  tend  to  be  some¬ 
what  thicker  to  the  south  than  to  the  north  and  considerably  thicker 
to  the  west  than  to  the  east.  Rock  does  not  outcrop  in  the  county,  so 
that  the  geology  of  the  coal-bearing  strata  is  known  only  from  drill 
and  shaft  records,  seventeen  in  number,  most  of  which  are  in  the 
vicinity  of  Decatur. 

From  the  information  furnished  by  these  records  and  the  records 
of  holes  in  adjacent  counties,  it  appears  that  Macon  County  lies  but  a 
short  distance  west  of  the  axis  of  the  Illinois  coal  basin.  The  strata 
dip  eastward  toward  the  axis,  so  that  No.  6  coal  has  a  depth  at  Niantic 
of  310  feet,  at  Decatur,  about  560  feet,  and  at  Lovington  in  Moultrie 
County,  900  feet.  There  is  also  a  slight  increase  in  depth  southward 
through  the  county,  but  it  is  less  than  the  increase  to  the  east.  The 
eastward  dip  of  the  rock  effects  a  thickening  of  the  Pennsylvanian 
system  in  that  direction,  as  noted  above,  and  younger  and  younger  rock 
underlies  the  drift  toward  the  east.  It  is  probable  that  the  New  Haven 
limestone,  commonly  found  about  600  feet  above  No.  6  coal,  outcrops 
below  the  drift  in  a  belt  running  approximately  north  and  south  in 
eastern  Macon  County  or  western  Moultrie  County. 

The  Carlinville  and  Shoal  Creek  limestones  possibly  outcrop  below 
the  drift  in  parallel  belts  in  western  Macon  County  west  of  Niantic. 
One  of  these  limestones,  probably  the  Shoal  Creek,  underlies  the  drift 
in  the  shaft  at  Niantic.  It  seems  probable,  therefore,  that  the  Pennsyl- 


139 


140 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


vanian  rock  below  the  drift  includes  strata  lying  between  the  horizon 
of  the  Carlinville  limestone  and  strata  adjacent  to  the  New  Haven 
limestone ;  that  is,  between  about  300  and  about  600  feet  above  No.  6 
coal. 

In  Macon  County  the  occurrence  and  distribution  of  the  coals  are 
somewhat  similar  to  the  occurrence  and  distribution  in  Sangamon 
County,  which  lies  adjacent  in  District  VII.  In  the  extreme  southern 
part  of  the  county  No.  6  is  probably  present  in  commercial  thickness, 
but  as  far  south  as  Moweaqua,  Shelby  County,  No.  5  coal  is  possibly 
of  as  great  or  greater  importance.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  county 
No.  6  coal  plays  out,  so  that  only  No.  5  coal  can  be  mined.  Thus  a 
thinning  of  No.  6  comparable  to  the  thinning  of  that  coal  in  Sangamon 
County  exists  in  Macon  County. 

No.  2  coal  in  a  thickness  not  known  to  exceed  2j4  feet,  is  probably 
present  150  to  175  feet  below  No.  5.  No.  1  coal,  mined  at  Assumption 
in  Christian  County,  is  also  present,  possibly  generally,  about  100  feet 
below  No.  2,  with  a  maximum  known  thickness  in  the  county  of  about 
3  feet.  It  is  doubtful  whether  either  of  the  lower  coals  is  at  present 
of  workable  thickness  in  competition  with  the  thicker  overlying  beds. 

The  following  records,  together  with  the  Blue  Mound  record  given 
in  Part  I,  will  aid  the  driller  and  prospector  in  identifying  beds  in 
Macon  County. 


Log  of  air  shaft  at  Decatur,  about  one-lialf  mile  southwest  of  the  coal  shaft 
near  bluffs  of  the  Sangamon  river q  sec  14?,  T  1C  Ar.,  R.  2  E. 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Soil  and  loamy  clav. . . 

25 

25 

Sand  and  water  (flow  of  400  gallons 
per  minute) . 

30 

55 

Clay,  blue  . __ 

4 

59 

Soil  and  drift  wood . . . 

2 

61 

_ _ 

Sand,  green . . . - 

4 

— 

65 

— 

Sand,  gray . . . . . 

6 

— 

71 

— 

Clay,  hard  blue . . 

9 

_ 

80 

— 

Sand  and  gravel  (five  strata) . 

37 

_ 

117 

— 

Hardpan . . . . . . . 

23 

.... 

140 

.... 

lGeological  Survey  of  Illinois,  Vol.  VIII,  pp.  48-49. 


MACON  COUNTY 


141 


Log  of  air  shaft  at  Decatur — Continued 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

McLeansboro — 

Sandstone . . . . 

1 

6 

141 

6 

Shale,  soft . 

6 

_ 

147 

6 

Shale,  gray  and  blue,  sandy . 

28 

_ 

175 

6 

Clay  shale . . 

15 

_ 

190 

6 

“Slate,”  blue . . 

17 

____ 

207 

6 

Fire  clay,  ferruginous . . 

6 

_ 

213 

6 

Limestone,  conglomerate . . 

7 

— 

220 

6 

“Slate,”  brown . . . . 

10 

_ 

230 

6 

Flint  stone . . . . . . 

2 

6 

233 

.... 

“Slate,”  black . . . 

1 

.  _  _  _ 

234 

.... 

Flint  rock . . . . . 

2 

6 

236 

6 

Coal  (No.  11) . . 

_ 

10 

237 

4 

Fire  clay . . . . 

8 

_ 

245 

4 

Shale,  blue  sandy _ _ 

10 

_ 

255 

4 

Flint  stone . . . . . 

3 

_  _  _  _ 

258 

4 

Clay  shale . . . . 

5 

_ 

263 

4 

Shale,  sandy . . 

21 

_ 

284 

4 

“Slate,”  black _ _ _ 

2 

6 

286 

10 

Coal  (No.  10) . . . 

1 

_ 

287 

10 

Fire  clay . . 

6 

_ 

293 

10 

Shale,  black,  and  1  inch  of  coal  . 

8 

1 

301 

11 

Fire  clay . . . 

6 

____ 

307 

11 

Shale,  black _ _ _ _ 

3 

_  _  _  _ 

310 

11 

Limestone,  impure . . . . 

1 

____ 

311 

11 

Shale,  brown . . . . . 

8 

____ 

319 

11 

Sandstone . . . . . 

1 

.... 

320 

11 

“Slate,”  black . . . . 

4 

.... 

324 

11 

Flint  stone . . . .  . 

11 

.... 

335 

11 

“Slate,”  black.... . . . 

12 

.... 

347 

11 

Fire  clay . . . . 

4 

.... 

351 

11 

Limestone  (Shoal  Creek) . . . . 

10 

.... 

361 

11 

“Slate,”  black  (No.  9  coal) . 

2 

.... 

363 

11 

Fire  clay . 

8 

.... 

371 

11 

Clay  shale . 

13 

.... 

384 

11 

Sandstone . . . 

5 

mmmm 

389 

11 

Flint  stone . 

2 

.... 

391 

11 

“Slate,”  blue . 

8 

.... 

399 

11 

Clay  shale . 

39 

.... 

438 

11 

Sandstone,  blue . 

1 

.... 

439 

11 

“Slate,”  black .  . . 

3 

.... 

442 

11 

Coal  (No.  8) . 

1 

4 

444 

3 

Fire  clay . 

6 

.... 

450 

3 

Shale,  sandy . 

10 

.... 

460 

3 

Shale,  black . 

33 

.... 

493 

j 

“Slate,”  hard  black... . 

5 

.... 

498 

3 

—  -  -S 

142 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Log  of  air  shaft  at  Decatur — Concluded 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Coal  (local) . . . . . . 

3 

498 

6 

Fire  clay.... 

4 

.... 

502 

6 

Limestone. 

11 

513 

6 

Shale,  black _ _ _ _ 

4 

517 

6 

Clay  shale. 

2 

_ 

519 

6 

Coal  (No.  7) . . . 

_  _  _  _ 

4 

519 

10 

Fire  clay... 

2 

_ 

521 

10 

Stone,  conglomerate . . 

3 

_ 

524 

10 

Clay  shale, 

gray  and  blue . . 

14 

538 

10 

“Slate,”  black  and  }/£  inch  of  coal.... 

4 

.... 

542 

10 

Fire  clay.... 

4 

.... 

546 

10 

Sandstone.. 

7 

553 

10 

Shale,  gray 

6 

559 

10 

“Slate,”  black . . . . 

2 

561 

10 

Carbondale — 

Coal 

[ 

1 

4 

563 

2 

Clay  shale 

(No.  6) . . 

.... 

6 

563 

8 

Coal 

1 

2 

10 

566 

6 

Shale,  hard 

gray . ----- 

8 

.... 

574 

6 

Limestone. 

2 

6 

577 

.... 

Shale  bituminous  and  coal _ _ 

.... 

6 

577 

6 

Fire  clay.... 

4 

581 

6 

Sandstone.. 

17 

.... 

598 

6 

Clay  shale. 

3 

_ 

601 

6 

Sandstone.. 

13 

.... 

614 

6 

Clay  shale,  dark..... _ _ _ _ 

8 

.... 

622 

6 

“Slate,”  black _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

1 

6 

624 

.... 

Coal  (No.  5) 

4 

6 

628 

6 

Log  of  well  on  farm  cf  T.  C.  Grady ,  T.  IS  N.,  R.  2  E.,  Maroa,  Illinois. 

Elevation — 720  feet 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Clay . - 

62 

_ 

62 

---- 

Gravel,  hardpan . . 

6 

_ 

68 

— 

Clay . 

16 

.... 

84 

---- 

Hardpan . . 

129 

---- 

213 

.... 

Hardpan,  sandy . 

6 

219 

Clay,  hardpan . . . . . 

54 

.... 

273 

.... 

MACON  COUNTY 


143 


Log  of  well  on  farm  of  T.  C.  Grady — Concluded 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

McLeansboro — 

Limestone . . . . . . 

15 

_ _ 

288 

.... 

Shale,  light . .. . . 

1 

_ 

289 

.... 

Shale,  black . . . . . 

2 

_ 

291 

.... 

Shale,  gray . . . 

5 

— 

296 

.... 

Limestone . . . . . 

4 

_ 

300 

.... 

Shale,  light . . . . . 

12 

____ 

312 

.... 

Sand  shale . . . . 

30 

_ 

342 

.... 

Shale,  gray . . . . 

28 

_ 

370 

.... 

Limestone . . . . . . 

10 

_ 

380 

Shale,  gray . 

19 

_ 

399 

.... 

Shale,  sandy . . . . 

90 

_ 

489 

.... 

“Slate,”  dark . . . . 

10 

____ 

499 

.... 

Carbondale — 

Coal  (No.  6) . . . . . 

____ 

6 

499 

6 

Fire  clay _ _ _ _ _ 

1 

6 

501 

.... 

Sandstone,  gray _ _ _ 

3 

____ 

504 

.... 

Shale,  light . . . . . . 

8 

____ 

512 

.... 

Limestone . . .  . . 

9 

_ 

521 

.... 

Shale,  blue . . . . . . 

4 

_ _ 

525 

.... 

Limestone . . . . . . . . 

7 

.... 

532 

.... 

Sand  shale.... . . . . . 

34 

.... 

566 

.... 

“Slate,”  black . . 

3 

6 

569 

6 

Coal  (No.  5) . . . . . . 

1 

6 

571 

.... 

“Slate,”  dark . . . . . . 

4 

.... 

575 

.... 

Limestone . . . . . 

17 

.... 

592 

.... 

Sand  shale . . . . 

20 

.... 

612 

.... 

Slate,  black . . . 

4 

.... 

616 

.... 

Shale,  light . . . . . 

6 

.... 

622 

.... 

Limestone . . . 

4 

.... 

626 

.... 

Log  of  Niantic  Carbon  Coal  Company's  shaft,  sec.  12,  T.  16  N .,  R.  1  W.1 

Elevation — 585  feet 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Soil  and  clay,  brown . 

11 

11 

Sand  and  gravel . 

4 

.... 

15 

.... 

Hardpan,  gravelly . 

25 

.... 

40 

.... 

Hardpan,  blue . 

10 

.... 

50 

.... 

Clay,  soft . . 

15 

.... 

65 

.... 

Hardpan,  gray . 

10 

.... 

75 

.... 

Clay,  soft  brown .  . 

7 

.... 

82 

.... 

lGeologfcal  Survey  of  Illinois,  Vol.  VII,  p.  19. 


144 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Log  of  Niantic  Carbon  Coal  Company's  shaft— Concluded 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

McLeansboro — 

Limestone . . . 

10 

.... 

92 

.... 

Rock,  blue  flinty . 

2 

.... 

94 

.... 

“Slate,”  black . . . . 

3 

.... 

97 

.... 

Fire-clay . . 

6 

103 

---- 

Limestone . . . 

10 

_ _ 

113 

.... 

Shale,  blue  and  gray . 

7 

_ 

120 

.... 

Shale,  black . . 

1 

121 

.... 

Coal  (No.  9)._ . . 

.... 

2 

121 

2 

Fire-clay . 

1 

122 

2 

Limestone,  nodular . . . 

5 

.... 

127 

2 

Clay  shale . . . . . 

5 

132 

2 

Sandstone,  soft  blue . . . 

16 

.... 

148 

2 

Shale,  gray . . . 

42 

.... 

190 

2 

Coal  (No.  8) . . 

1 

3 

191 

5 

Fire-clay . . . . 

2 

6 

193 

11 

Sandstone . . . . . 

10 

203 

11 

Shale,  gray . . . 

45 

.... 

248 

11 

Rock,  hard  flinty . 

10 

.... 

258 

11 

Shale,  black . 

3 

261 

11 

Fire-clay . . . . 

9 

270 

11 

Shale,  blue  and  red . . . . 

15 

.... 

285 

11 

“Slate,”  black . 

5 

.... 

290 

11 

Coal  (No.  7) . 

1 

3 

292 

2 

Fire-clay . . . 

4 

6 

296 

8 

Shale,  black . . . 

11 

.... 

307 

8 

Carbondale — 

Coal  (No.  6) . 

2 

6 

310 

2 

Clay  shale . 

15 

.... 

325 

2 

Shale,  black . . . . . . 

3 

.... 

328 

2 

Coal  (local) . 

.... 

10 

329 

.... 

Fire-clay . . 

2 

.... 

331 

.... 

Shale,  gray . 

14 

.... 

345 

.... 

Rock,  hard,  black  (limestone) . 

1 

.... 

346 

.... 

“Slate,”  black. . . . 

3 

.... 

349 

.... 

Coal  (No.  5) . 

5 

6 

354 

6 

Known  Minable  Coals  in  Macon  County 

no.  5  coal 

So  far  as  is  known,  No.  5  coal  is  present  in  workable  thickness 
below  the  entire  area  of  Macon  County.  There  has  been  no  prospect¬ 
ing  so  far  as  known  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  and  future 
drilling  may  call  for  a  reversal  of  the  opinion  expressed  about  the 
continuity  of  the  coal. 


MACON  COUNTY 


145 


MINE  NOTES 

The  best  information  concerning  No.  5  coal  is  that  found  in  mine 
notes  taken  in  the  various  mines  of  the  county  as  summarized  below. 

MINE  OF  THE  NIANTIC  CARBON  COAL  COMPANY,  AT  NIANTIC 

Entrance  by  shaft;  360  feet  to  No.  5  coal.  Working  No.  5  coal,  which 
has  an  average  thickness  of  5 V2  feet,  varying  between  5  and  6  feet.  The 
coal  contains  small  sulphur  streaks  in  the  upper  part  of  the  bed,  but  these 
are  not  persistent.  The  clay  veins  or  “horsebacks,”  characteristic  of  the 


Fig.  10.  Sketch  of  a  clay  vein  (“horseback”)  in  the  Niantic  Carbon  Coal 

Company’s  mine  at  Niantic. 


bed,  are  present.  A  sketch  of  one  made  near  the  face  of  the  main  west 
entry  in  1912  is  shown  in  figure  10.  In  this  instance  the  filling  is  described 
as  being  of  two  kinds  of  rock,  hard  and  soft.  The  former  seems  calcareous 
and  contains  pyrite.  The  soft  part  is  clay.  The  clay  veins  are  numerous 
and  greatly  increase  mining  costs. 

The  roof  of  the  coal  is  commonly  black  shale  or  “slate,”  but  varies 
locally  from  blue  to  gray  and  has  a  thickness  of  about  3  feet.  Nigger- 
heads  are  common  in  this  roof.  A  cap-rock  4  to  12  inches  thick  is  present 
above  the  shale. 

Sections  of  the  coal  in  this  mine  are  given  herewith. 


146 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Sections  of  No.  5  coal  in  Niantic  mine 


Section  1 — 3d  west  entry  off  south  entry  on  the  east  side 

* 

Roof:  Shale,  black . 

Coal,  fairly  clean  and  bright . 

Sulphur  parting  . 

Coal,  clean  and  bright . 

Sulphur  parting  . 

Coal,  fairly  clean  . 

Mother  coal  . 

Coal,  dirty  . 

Mother  coal  . . 

Coal,  dirty  . 

Mother  coal  . 

Coal,  fairly  clean  . 

Floor:  Fire  clay,  dark  . 


Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


3 


2  y2 

•  • 

8 1/2 

V4 

2% 

% 

2  V2 

% 

7 

•  • 

5  2 


Section  2 — 8th  east  off  north  on  east  side 

Roof:  Shale,  black  . 

Coal,  fairly  clean,  bright  . 

Sulphur  . 

Coal,  streaked  with  mother  coal  . 

Floor:  Fire  clay,  dark  . 


Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

2  6 

Vs 

2  8 


2  2  Vs 


Section  3 — 1st  west  off  northwest  entry,  room  35 

Roof:  Shale,  black . 

Coal,  top,  local  only  . 

Coal,  clean,  bright,  slightly  streaked  . 

Sulphur  parting  . 

Coal,  streaked  with  bone  . 

Sulphur  parting  . 

Coal,  fairly  clean  but  with  some  bone . 


Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


1 


2 

5 


3% 
8% 
Vs 
4  Vi 


MINE  OF  THE  MACON  COUNTY  COAL  COMPANY,  AT  DECATUR1 

Entrance  by  shaft,  560  feet  to  the  floor  of  mine.  No.  5  coal  here  has 
a  thickness  of  4V&  feet  and  5  feet  1  inch,  respectively,  where  measured  in 
two  places.  The  coal  contains  some  sulphur  in  bands  or  lenses,  but  this 
impurity  is  not  in  large  amount.  There  are  some  horsebacks.  The  roof 
is  black,  fine-grained  shale  or  “slate”  containing  niggerheads,  which  in 
places  in  the  mine  are  numerous  and  of  a  large  size.  One  was  noted 
which  cut  out  the  coal  to  within  one  foot  of  the  floor.  Above  the  “slate’ ’ 
is  the  cap-rock,  a  hard  limestone  10  to  24  inches  thick.  This  is  followed 
by  gray  shale,  4  to  5  inches  thick,  overlying  wThieh  is  sandstone. 


lFormerly  Manufacturers  and  Consumers  Coal  Company. 


MACON  COUNTY 


147 


The  following  sections  of  coal  in  this  mine  are  available. 

Sections  of  No  5  coal  in  the  mine  of  the  Macon  County  Coal  Company 
Section  1 — At  face,  3d  left  entry  off  the  1st  east  off  1st  south 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Black  shale  . 

Coal,  clean,  hard,  bright,  blocky  .  3  7 

Coal,  bony,  with  little  sulphur .  1 

Coal,  clean,  bright  .  414 

Mother  coal  .  V2 

Coal,  fairly  clean  .  7 

Floor:  Fire  clay  . 


4  8 

Section  2 — Face  of  the  9th  west  off  1st  south  Thickness 

Ft.  in. 

Roof:  Black  shale  . 

Coal,  clean,  bright,  hard  .  2  4 

Bone  and  coal  .  114 

Coal,  fairly  clean  and  hard .  814 

Pyrite  . 14 

Coal,  fairly  clean  .  7 

Mother  coal,  soft  .  14 

Coal,  dirty  .  1014 


NO.  6  COAL,  4  8 

MINE  NOTES 


No.  6  coal  has  been  mined  at  only  one  mine  in  this  county.  Con¬ 
ditions  in  the  mine  are  shown  in  the  following  notes. 


ABANDONED  MINE  OF  THE  BLUE  MOUND  COAL  COMPANY,  AT  BLUE  MOUND 
Entrance  by  shaft,  472  feet  to  floor.  The  coal  averages  5  feet,  varying 
between  314  feet  and  614  feet. 

A  section  measured  in  the  mine  is  as  follows: 


Section  of  No.  6  coal  at  Blue  Mound ,  face  of  1st  entry  off  main  west 

Thickness 


Coal  . 

Sulphur  . 

Coal  . 

Sulphur  . 

Coal  . 

Sulphur  . 

Coal  . 

Blue  band  . 

Coal  . 

Floor:  Fire  clay 


Ft.  in. 

2  6 

.  .  14 

5 

14 

1  6 

14 

714 

1 

9 


6  0 

The  roof  in  this  mine  is  shale  or  limestone.  The  shale  varies  up  to 
314  feet  and  the  limestone  is  known  to  be  as  thick  as  17  feet. 


MASON  COUNTY 
Introduction 

Coal  has  never  been  mined  in  Mason  County  and  so  far  as  is 
known,  only  one  drill  hole,  the  one  located  at  Mason  City,  has  pene¬ 
trated  the  Pennsylvanian  rocks. 

SurficiaIv  Deposits 

The  coal-bearing  rocks  are  deeply  covered  by  glacial  drift  which 
in  the  hole  at  Mason  City  has  a  thickness  of  204  feet.  Its  thickness  in 
other  places  in  the  county  is  not  known.  Leverett  says:  “The  county 
occupies  a  low  basin-like  expansion  of  the  Illinois  valley,  heavily 
covered  with  sand,  except  where  the  old  river  channels  have  left  a 
surface  deposit  of  muck.”1 

CoAE-BEARING  ROCICS 

Except  for  information  afforded  by  the  drilling  at  Mason  City, 
and  for  a  general  knowledge  of  conditions  in  surrounding  counties, 
nothing  is  known  concerning  the  coal  which  possibly  underlies  Mason 
County.  In  the  drill  hole  a  coal  34  inches  thick  was  struck  at  a 
depth  of  290  to  293  feet.  This  thickness  of  the  coal  suggests  correla¬ 
tion  with  No.  2  rather  than  with  one  of  the  higher  coals.  Further 
evidence  in  support  of  this  correlation  is  that  No.  5  coal  at  Lincoln 
lies  at  about  the  same  depth  and  latitude  as  the  coal  at  Mason  City, 
whereas  by  reason  of  the  regional  eastward  dip,  No.  5  coal  should  be 
considerably  higher  at  Mason  City  than  at  Lincoln ;  in  fact,  high  enough 
to  bring  it  above  erosion  level  beneath  the  drift. 

It  is  probable,  therefore,  though  by  no  means  established,  that  if 
Mason  City  is  underlain  by  coal,  it  is  No.  2  rather  than  one  of  the 
higher  beds,  except  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  where  locally 
the  drift  may  be  thin  and  one  of  the  higher  coals,  possibly  No.  5,  may 
be  present  in  small  areas. 


lLeverett,  Frank,  The  Illinois  Glacial  Lobe:  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  Mon 
38,  p.  688,  1899. 


148 


MENARD  COUNTY 
Production  and  Mines 


Production  in  tons,  year  ending  June  30,  1920 .  145,868 

Average  annual  production,  1916-1920 .  179,861 

Total  production,  1881-1920 . 10,639,32 7 


One  shipping  mine  and  eight  wagon  mines  reported  production 
in  Menard  County  during  the  fiscal  year  1920.  The  total  production 
was  a  little  less  than  .2  per  cent  of  the  State’s  entire  output,  and  the 
county  ranked  thirty-first  in  order  of  production.  Table  6  gives  data 
concerning  the  shipping  mine. 

CoAR-BEARING  ROCKS 

The  southern  part  of  Menard  County,  including  the  town  of 
Tallula  and  others,  is  included  in  the  area  of  the  Tallula-Springfield 
quadrangles.1  The  north  line  of  these  quadrangles  passes  within  less 
than  one  mile  of  Petersburg.  The  mining  operations  of  the  county 
accordingly  lie  mostly  within  the  boundaries  of  these  quadrangles, 
and  the  description  of  the  coal-bearing  strata  on  those  areas  given 
in  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  report,  is  adequate  for  the  county. 

The  strata  underlying  Menard  County  are  a  continuation  north¬ 
ward  of  those  underlying  the  west  half  of  Sangamon  County.  The 
description  of  these  strata  presented  in  the  discussion  of  the  coal-bear¬ 
ing  rocks  of  that  county  will  apply  approximately  to  the  strata  under¬ 
lying  Menard  County. 

The  rocks  immediately  underlying  the  drift  are  included  between 
No.  5  coal  which  is  thought  to  outcrop  near  the  west  line  of  the  county, 
and  the  Lonsdale  limestone.  Accordingly  No.  5  coal  probably  underlies 
the  entire  county,  and  so  far  as  is  known  is  everywhere  of  workable 
thickness.  No.  6  and  No.  7  coals  are  present  east  of  their  lines  of  out¬ 
crop,  which  run  parallel  to  that  of  No.  5,  between  Tallula  and  the  county 
line  to  the  west.  These  coals  are  thin  and  of  no  commercial  value. 
No.  2  coal  is  probably  present  but  it  may  be  too.  thin  to  be  profitably 
worked  in  competition  with  No.  5.  The  interval  between  these  coals  and 
the  character  of  the  intervening  strata  have  been  discussed  in  the  de¬ 
scription  of  the  coal-bearing  rocks  of  Sangamon  County.  The  reader 
is  also  referred  for  further  detail  concerning  the  geology  of  the  region 
to  the  Tallula-Springfield  Folio,  cited  above. 

Only  six  records  of  drilling  or  shafts  are  available  in  the  county, 
and  none  exceeds  a  depth  of  165  feet.  The  only  one  of  these  that 
has  sufficient  detail  to  make  it  of  value  to  this  report  is  reproduced 
herewith.’ 

iShaw,  E.  W.,  and  Savage,  T.  E.,  Tallula-Springfield  Folio:  U.  S.  Geologi¬ 
cal  Survey  Geologic  Folio  188,  1913. 


149 


150 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Record,  of  shaft  of  the  Lcyd  coal  mine  in  the  NW.  Y±  sec.  23,  T.  17  N., 

R.  7  W. 


Record  given  from  memory  by  H.  C.  Bradt 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Quaternary  stystem — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Clay,  surface . . . . . .. 

20 

_ 

20 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

McLeansboro — 

Limestone _ _ _ _ _ 

7 

____ 

27 

____ 

Shale,  blue . . . . . . 

15 

_ 

42 

____ 

Rock,  blue..... . . . 

5 

_ 

47 

____ 

Shale,  blue . . 

5 

_ 

52 

_ 

Rock,  blue.. . . . 

5 

57 

.... 

Carbondale — 

Coal  (No.  6?) . 

1 

2 

58 

2 

Fire  clay . 

4 

---- 

62 

2 

Flint  rock  (limestone)... . 

4 

.... 

66 

2 

Sandstone . . . . . 

11 

_ 

77 

2 

Shale,  blue  and  red . . . 

15 

_ 

92 

2 

Cap  rock  (limestone?) . 

---- 

6 

92 

8 

Slate... . . . . 

1 

2 

93 

10 

Coal  (No.  5) . . 

5 

10 

99 

8 

Mine  Notes 

Observation  has  been  made  in  four  mines  in  Menard  County. 

ABANDONED  MINE  OF  THE  MIDDLETOWN  COAL  CO.,  AT  MIDDLETOWN 

Entrance:  Shaft;  210  feet  to  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Varies  from  5  feet  8  inches  to  6  feet  2  inches. 
The  average  thickness  is  6  feet. 

Section  of  the  coal : 

Section  of  No.  5  coal  in  the  mine  of  the  Middletown  Coal  Company, 

at  Middletown 

2d  west  entry  off  3d  south  main  entry,  about  1,375  feet  from  shaft 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

Roof:  Black  fissile  shale . 


Coal  .  2  1 

Pyrite  .  Vs 

Coal  .  1  9V2 

Pyrite  .  % 

Coal  . 1  8 


Floor:  Fire  clay 


5 


6% 


MENARD  COUNTY 


151 


Character  of  the  coal :  The  top  coal  in  the  foregoing  section  is  very 
black  and  brittle,  and  has  a  bright  lustre.  The  rest  is  not  so  bright  and 
is  softer.  Most  of  the  pyrite  is  found  in  the  middle  portion  in  irregular 
lenses.  Mother  coal  is  less  common  in  the  upper  coal  than  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  bed.  The  bed  is  cut  by  the  usual  horsebacks. 

Character  of  the  roof  and  floor:  The  roof  is  black  fissile  shale  114 
to  6  feet  thick,  with  a  limestone  cap-rock  4  inches  to  3  feet  thick.  The 
floor  is  clay  above  limestone. 

ABANDONED  MINE  OF  THE  SOUTH  MOUNTAIN  COAL  CO.,  AT  PETERSBURG 

Entrance:  Slope,  80  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Varies  from  514  to  7  feet,  averaging  6  feet. 

Section  of  the  coal: 


Section  of  No.  5  coal  in  the  South  Mountain  Coal  Company's  mine, 

at  Petersburg 

1st  entry  off  the  7th  east  entry  about  2,600  feet  from  slope 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof :  Shale 

Coal  . 

Pyrite  . 

Coal  . 

Mother  coal 

Coal  . 

Pyrite  . 

Coal  . 

Pyrite  . 

Coal  . 


•  •  •  • 

1  4 

Vs 

11 

1 

7 

Vs 

1  6 

Vs 

1  6V2 


5  11% 

Character  of  the  coal  and  roof:  The  coal  is  reported  to  be  cut  by 
clay  veins.  The  roof  is  shale,  probably  black,  114  to  6  feet  thick,  with  a 
cap  rock  of  limestone  214  feet  or  less  in  thickness  usually  present. 

UNION  FUEL  COMPANY’S  NO.  4  MINE,  AT  ATHENS 
Entrance:  Shaft;  203  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  5  to  6  feet;  averages  5  feet  8  inches. 
Sections  of  the  coal : 

Sections  of  No.  5  coal  in  the  No.  h  mine  of  the  Union  Fuel  Company, 

at  Athens 

Section  1 — Room  1  off  11th  north  off  main  west  entry,  6,500  feet  from  shaft 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

Roof:  Black  “slate” . 

Coal,  bright  .  2  7 

Pyrite  .  14 

Coal,  bright  .  3  3 

Floor:  Fire  clay . 


5 


10 


152 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Section  2 — 19th  south  off  main  west;  entry  face,  5,800  feet  from  shaft 

Thickness 


Roof:  Black  “slate” 

Coal,  bright  . 

Mother  coal  . 

Coal,  bright  . 

Mother  coal  . . 

Coal,  bright  . 

Floor:  Fire  clay.  .  . 


Ft.  in. 

4 

% 

6 

V4 

4  11 


5  9% 


Section  3 


Coal,  bright 
Pyrite  streak 
Coal,  bright 


— Entry  face  on  the  main  east  stub;  1,500  feet  from  shaft 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

.  3  8 

.  V4 

.  1  5 


5  11/4 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  lies  in  a  single  bed  without  partings. 
The  middle  of  the  bed  contains  a  few  pyrite  lenses  running  parallel  to 
the  bedding,  and  the  bottom  4  inches  of  the  coal  is  bony  in  many  places. 
There  are  no  persistent  impurities,  however.  “Horsebacks”  occur  with 
the  usual  frequency.  The  accompanying  figures  11  and  12  are  reproduced 
from  sketches  made  of  two  kinds  of  clay  veins,  in  one  of  which  the  frac¬ 
ture  is  about  vertical  and  there  has  been  no  offset  of  the  bed,  and  in  the 
other  an  inclined  fracture  is  accompanied  by  offset.  Figure  11  shows 
also  how  the  clay  in  the  floor  bulges  up  toward  the  “horseback”  but  does 
not  enter  it,  the  vein  material  being  apparently  entirely  different  from 
the  underclay.  In  figure  12  it  will  be  noted  that  the  fracture  does  not 
extend  up  into  the  cap  rock. 

The  coal  is  broken  also  by  what  seems  to  be  true  faults  which  cross 
all  the  strata  associated  with  the  coal.  In  this  case  the  limestone  rests 
upon  the  coal;  the  difference  in  the  character  of  the  fractures  may  be 
due  to  this  fact. 

The  clay  veins  vary  in  width,  but  their  maximum  is  about  2  feet- 
The  filling  consists  of  clay  with  small  fragments  of  coal  scattered  through 
it.  These  fragments  are  sharp,  unshattered,  and  have  the  same  appear¬ 
ance  as  the  coal  in  the  bed.  In  one  case  where  the  floor  has  apparently 
been  pushed  up  about  18  inches,  no  displacement  was  noted  in  the  roof 
of  the  coal,  although  the  fracture  extended  into  the  cap-rock,  with  a  width 
of  1  to  IV2  feet  across,  slightly  less  than  its  width  in  the  coal. 

Character  of  the  roof :  The  immediate  roof  is  usually  black  “slate,” 
which  varies  from  6  inches  to  6  feet  in  thickness,  but  averages  2  feet. 
In  places  it  is  less  hard  and  sheety  and  becomes  less  like  a  “slate.”  This 
more  massive  shale  is  most  everywhere  wet  and  eventually  falls  to  the 
cap  rock.  The  cap  rock  is  usually  strong  enough  to  stand  where  these 
falls  occur. 


MENARD  COUNTY 


153 


The  cap  rock  is  a  very  carbonaceous  limestone  about  5  feet  in  thick¬ 
ness.  Ordinarily  it  forms  a  good  roof.  In  a  few  places  the  limestone 
is  in  contact  with  the  coal.  This  contact,  however,  is  not  sharp  on  account 
of  the  common  occurrence  of  coal  stringers  in  the  lower  2  inches  of  the  rock. 

The  cap  rock  locally  also  cuts  down  through  the  “slate”  as  a  “roll” 
under  which  the  coal  is  ordinarily  somewhat  crushed.  Overlying  the  cap 
rock  is  a  gray  “soapstone”  or  shale.  In  places  the  cap  rock  is  represented 


Fig.  11. — Sketch  of  a  nearly  vertical  clay  vein  (“horseback”)  in  the  Unior. 
Fuel  Company’s  No.  4  mine  at  Athens.  The  fracture  is 
not  accompanied  by  an  offset. 


154 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


only  by  a  band  of  boulders,  the  gray  shale  resting  directly  upon  the  black 
“slate,”  except  for  these  nodules. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  underclay  is  reported  to  have  a  thick¬ 
ness  of  14  feet.  The  upper  7  feet  is  said  to  be  rather  soft  and  to  contain 
many  nodules  or  “boulders.”  The  upper  18  inches  is  said  to  heave  some¬ 
what. 

ABANDONED  MINE  OF  THE  TALLULA  COAL  COMPANY,  AT  TALLULA 

Entrance:  Shaft;  179  feet  to  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  5  feet  8  inches  to  7  feet  6  inches; 
averages  6  feet. 

Section  of  the  coal: 


I 


Scale  in  feet 


Fig.  12. — Sketch  of  an  inclined  clay  vein  (“horseback”)  in  the  Union  Fuel 
Company’s  No.  4  mine  at  Athens.  The  bed  is  offset. 

Section  of  No.  5  coal,  Tallula  Coal  Company,  at  Tallula. 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

Roof :  Black  shale  . 


Coal  .  1  3 

Pyrite  .  Vs 

Coal  .  2  6 

Pyrite  .  1 

Coal  .  6 

Pyrite  .  Vs 

Coal  .  1  8 


Floor:  Fire  clay 


6  % 

Character  of  the  coal,  roof,  and  floor:  The  coal  bed  is  crossed  by 
numerous  clay  veins.  It  has  the  usual  black  “slate”  roof  14  inches  to  6  feet 
thick,  with  a  limestone  cap  rock  3  inches  to  3  feet  thick. 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


Production  in  tons,  year  ending  June  30,  1920 .  1,244,013 

Average  annual  production  1916  to  1920 .  1,327,926 

Total  production  1881  to  1920 . 31,867,000 


Peoria  County  ranked  14  in  production  in  1920;  the  output  in 
that  fiscal  year  (1919-1920)  was  1.7  per  cent  of  the  total  output  of 
the  State.  During  1920  there  were  2  shipping  mines  operating  in  this 
county  and  51  local  or  wagon  mines.  The  local  mines  produced  183,- 
689  tons  of  coal.  Most  of  the  mines  operated  in  No.  5  coal,  but  there 
was  some  coal  mined  from  No.  6  coal,  and  plans  have  been  made 
to  resume  operations  in  No.  2  coal  in  the  Wantling  (Blue  Fly)  mine 
at  Pottstown. 

Coal-bearing  Rocks 

The  geology  of  the  portion  of  this  county  in  which  mining  opera¬ 
tions  are  most  active  has  been  described  in  detail  after  careful  field 
examination  by  Dr.  J.  A.  Udden.1  Much  of  the  geological  informa¬ 
tion  included  in  the  following  paragraph  is  drawn  from  his  publication. 

The  thickness  of  the  coal-bearing  strata  is  about  520  feet,  of  which 
the  lower  300  feet  is  known  only  from  drilling  or  mine  shafts.  The 
exposed  220  feet  extends  downward  20  feet  below  the  chief  productive 
coal  bed.  The  most  reliable  and  detailed  information  concerning  the 
lower  unexposed  portion  of  the  section  is  based  upon  the  records  of 
two  shafts.  One  of  these,  located  at  Pottstown,  passes  through  No.  2 
coal  at  a  depth  of  106  feet,  has  a  depth  of  240  feet,  and  reaches  a  bed 
believed  to  be  equivalent  to  the  Ellisville  or  Rock  Island  coal.  The 
workings  in  No.  2  coal  in  this  mine  have  been  reopened.  The  other 
shaft,  at  Orchard  about  4  miles  south  of  Bartonville,  extended  down 
to  a  coal  bed  believed  to  be  No.  2,  and  equivalent  to  the  upper  bed 
in  the  Pottstown  shaft.  The  section  of  strata  in  these  two  shafts 
follows : 


lUdden,  J.  A.,  Geology  and  mineral  resources  of  the  Peoria  quadrangle, 
Illinois:  U.S.  Geological  Survey  Bull,  506,  1912. 


155 


156 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Section  of  rocks  penetrated  by  the  shaft  of  the  Blue  Fly  mine  at  Pottstown, 
west  side  of  the  SIT.  %  sec.  36,  Kickapoo  Township,  Peoria  County 1 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Quaternary  system — 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Alluvium-. . . . . 

10 

_ 

10 

.... 

Sand,  dry . 

6 

.... 

16 

.... 

Gravel . . . . . 

3 

.... 

19 

.... 

Hardpan . . 

2 

.... 

21 

.... 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

Carbondale  formation — 

Soapstone,  white . . . 

10 

.... 

31 

.... 

Iron  band . . . - . . 

.... 

2 

31 

2 

Soapstone . . 

8 

.... 

39 

2 

Iron  band _ _ _ _ _ 

3 

39 

5 

Shale,  black . . . . . . 

20 

.... 

59 

5 

Iron  band . . . . 

3 

59 

8 

Soapstone,  white . . . . . 

20 

.... 

79 

8 

Iron  band.... . . . . . . . 

____ 

2 

79 

10 

Shale,  white . . . . . . 

4 

83 

10 

Iron  band . . . . 

.... 

4 

84 

2 

Shale,  white . . . . 

3 

.... 

87 

2 

Iron  band. . . . . . 

.... 

2 

87 

4 

Shale,  dark . . . 

6 

93 

4 

Cap  rock . . . . . 

2 

.... 

95 

4 

Slate,  black . . . . 

2 

8 

98 

.... 

Shale,  white . . . . . . 

9 

.... 

107 

.... 

Coal  (No.  2) . . . . 

2 

8 

109 

8 

Pottsville  formation — 

Fire  clay . 

4 

.... 

113 

8 

Sandstone . .*. . . . 

17 

.... 

130 

8 

Soapstone . . . . . . . 

6 

.... 

136 

8 

Sandstone,  white . . . 

56 

6 

193 

2 

Clod,  black . . . 

3 

6 

196 

8 

Fire  clay . 

1 

6 

198 

2 

Coal . 

2 

4 

200 

6 

Sandstone,  dark _ _ _ 

4 

6 

205 

.... 

Rock,  hard _ _ _ _ _ _ 

3 

6 

208 

6 

Clod,  dark . 

8 

.... 

216 

6 

Sandstone,  hard.... . . . . 

7 

6 

224 

.... 

Slate,  black . . . 

3 

.... 

227 

.... 

Shale . . . . 

2 

.... 

229 

.... 

Rock,  white _ _ _ _ _ 

3 

.... 

232 

Coal 

1 

4 

233 

4 

Clod,  black  }>  No.  1 _ _ _ _ 

3 

6 

236 

10 

Coal  J  [ 

3 

.... 

239 

10 

Fire  clay . . . . . 

1 

.... 

240 

10 

JOp.  eit.,  p.  23. 


Fig.  13. — Graphic  sections  showing  the  character  of  the  Pottsville  formation  in  Peoria  County. 


cn 

o 

o 


o 

o 


CO 

o 

o 


o 

o 


o 


to 

o 

o 


VERTICAL  SCALE  IN  FEET 


J 


—y 


x 


V 


J 


M1SSISS1PP1AN 


PENNSYLVANIAN 


158 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Section  of  the  Orchard  shaft1,  about  U  miles  south  of  Bartonville 


Description  of  Strata 

Thick 

mess 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Surface . . . . . . 

3 

_ m 

3 

____ 

“Fire  clay” . 

2 

5 

Hardpan . . . . . . 

1 

8 

6 

8 

Loam,  black . . . . . . . . 

3 

6 

10 

2 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

Carbondale — 

Shale,  black . . . . . . 

.... 

9 

10 

11 

Soapstone,  soft _ _ _ _ _ _ 

2 

— 

12 

11 

Shale,  sandy . . 

7 

6 

20 

5 

Limestone . . 

2 

_ 

22 

5 

Sandstone . . . . . . 

17 

_ _ 

39 

5 

Soapstone . . . . 

4 

43 

5 

Iron  band . . . . 

_ _ 

8 

44 

1 

Soapstone _ _ _ _ 

18 

---- 

62 

1 

Sandstone,  blue . . . . . 

4 

____ 

66 

1 

Soapstone . 

36 

.... 

102 

1 

Slate,  gray,  and  iron  band  mixed _ 

16 

118 

1 

Slate,  black . . . . 

4 

8 

122 

9 

Hardpan . . . . . . . . 

1 

8 

124 

5 

Slate,  black . . . . . . . . 

---- 

10 

125 

3 

Soapstone . . . 

12 

.... 

137 

3 

Coal  (No.  2) . . . 

2 

6 

139 

9 

Pottsville — 

Fire  clay . . . . . . . . 

1 

10 

141 

7 

POTTSVILLE  FORMATION 

The  succession  of  the  Pottsville  formation  in  Peoria  County  is  not 
very  definitely  known.  Several  of  the  better  records  are  reproduced 
graphically  in  the  accompanying  figure  (Fig.  13). 

Study  of  the  available  drill  records,  several  of  which  are  included 
in  figure  13,  indicates  that  the  base  of  the  Pennsylvanian  system  is 
commonly  at  an  elevation  of  about  140  feet  above  sea  level  in  the 
vicinity  of  Peoria.  Although  this  figure  is  a  generalization,  it  is 
thought  to  be  accurate  within  about  25  feet.  In  the  northwest  part 
of  the  county  near  Princeville,  the  base  of  the  “Coal  Measures”  is 
probably  more  than  300  feet  above  sea  level,  and  along  the  Fulton 
County  line  near  Farmington,  between  270  and  300  feet.  The  pre- 


lOp.  cit.,  p.  24. 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


159 


Pennsylvanian  surface  accordingly  probably  slopes  about  10  feet  to  the 
mile.  There  is  some  evidence  that  the  surface  of  the  Mississippian 
strata  upon  which  the  “Coal  Measures”  rest  is  uneven,  aside  from  the 
general  slope  just  mentioned,  and  therefore  the  Mississippian  may  be 
reached  at  depths  which  vary  somewhat  from  what  would  be  expected. 
However,  if  the  character  of  the  drilling  chips  is  carefully  noted  when 
wells  or  tests  are  being  put  down,  there  should  ordinarily  be  no  dif¬ 
ficulty  in  determining  the  base  of  the  “Coal  Measures,”  as  at  that 
horizon  the  drill  passes  from  a  succession  of  shales,  sandy  shales,  and 
sandstones  into  massive  limestone. 

The  strata  in  the  lower  100  feet  of  the  Pottsville  are  apparently 
mostly  shale,  with  interbedded  sandstone  reported  in  two  wells.  Drill 
cuttings  from  the  Glen  Oak  Park  well,  taken  about  20  feet  above  the 
base  of  the  “Coal  Measures,”  contained  coal,  according  to  Udden.1 
Coal  was  reported  in  the  Carter  well  in  East  Peoria  at  about  the  same 
level  but  was  either  not  recorded  or  not  present  in  other  wells  in  the 
region.  In  the  interval  from  about  100  feet  above  the  base  of  the 
formation  (at  an  altitude  of  220  to  240  feet)  up  to  No.  2  coal  (at 
various  altitudes  between  330  and  380  feet)  there  seem  to  be  several 
coal  beds.  The  meager  information  at  hand  is  sufficient  for  correla¬ 
tion  of  the  coals  found  in  the  different  holes.  It  is  not  even  safe  to 
assume  that  the  coal  found  in  several  holes  at  an  altitude  of  220  to  240 
feet  is  a  continuous  bed,  as  Pottsville  coals  in  Illinois  are  characteris¬ 
tically  lenticular,  having  been  deposited  in  what  apparently  were  local 
basins  that  probably  did  not  synchronize. 

Coal  at  an  altitude  of  226  feet  and  at  a  depth  of  236  feet  has  been 
mined  at  Pottstown.  The  coal  in  this  mine  lies  in  two  benches,  the 
lower  one  according  to  Udden,2  varying  from  2  feet  2  inches  to  3  feet, 
and  the  upper  measuring  1  foot  3  inches.  The  two  benches  are  sepa¬ 
rated  by  nearly  3  feet  of  shale,  and  the  average  thickness  of  the  coal 
and  included  shale  is  6  feet.  Udden  states  that  this  coal  bed  has  been 
recognized  in  no  less  than  six  of  the  artesian  borings  in  the  vicinity 
of  Peoria  and  Pekin,  but  as  was  stated  in  the  previous  paragraph,  the 
correlation  of  these  lower  coals  upon  the  basis  of  water-well  records, 
in  several  cases  of  doubtful  accuracy,  is  not  possible;  especially  is  this 
evident  when  several  diamond-drill  holes  the  records  of  which  have 
become  available  since  the  field  work  on  the  Peoria  cpiadrangle  was 
completed,  show  several  thin  coals  in  the  section  below  No.  2  coal. 
Yet  it  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  this  lower  coal  may  be  fairly  con- 


lU.  S.  Geological  Survey  Bull.  506,  p.  35. 
20p.  cil.,  p.  25. 


160 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


tinuous,  at  least  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  for  it  is  reported 
in  a  drilling  at  Elmwood  at  the  west  edge  of  the  county. 

The  strata  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Pottsville  above  the  lower  coal, 
which  Udden1  suggests  is  the  No.  1  coal,  are  variable.  In  the  Potts- 
town  shaft  they  are  largely  sandstones  with  a  28-inch  coal  bed  about 
40  feet  above  the  No.  1  coal.  Two  records  in  Limestone  Township 
report  several  black  shales  and  thin  coals  in  the  succession,  as  well 
as  a  large  amount  of  sandstone  and  sandy  shales.  These  records  both 
report  coal  between  1  and  2  feet  thick  about  30  feet  below  the  top 
of  the  formation,  or  No.  2  coal.  The  record  of  the  drilling  at  Elm- 


Fig  14. — Photograph  of  a  block  of  the  roof  shale  of  No.  5  coal  in  Peoria 

County,  showing  laminated  structure. 

wood  shows  almost  continuous  shale.  The  interval  between  coals  No. 
2  and  No.  1  seems  to  vary  from  about  100  to  140  feet.  It  is  not  prob¬ 
able  that  any  of  the  intervening  coals  are  of  workable  thickness. 

CARBONDALE  FORMATION 

The  Carbondale  formation  includes  all  the  coal  beds  worked  in  the 
county,  and  is  economically  the  most  important  part  of  the  “Coal 
Measures”  section,  not  only  in  this  county  but  in  the  State  as  a  whole. 
With  the  exception  of  the  small  mine  at  Pottstown  which  has  recently 
reopened  an  old  development  in  No.  2  coal  the  commercial  operations 


lOp.  cit.,  p.  81. 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


161 


in  the  county  are  all  in  No.  5  coal.  No.  6  coal  has  a  little  development 
by  wagon  mines  at  various  places  in  the  county. 

no.  2  COAL 

No.  2  coal  lying  at  the  base  of  the  formation  has  the  usual  char¬ 
acteristics  of  that  bed  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State.  It  is  about 
30  inches  thick  and  is  overlain  by  the  gray  ‘'soapstone”  and  black  fissile 
shale  which  is  the  very  characteristic  roof  of  this  coal  in  the  typical 
La  Salle  region.  The  coal  contains  the  bright  sulphur  balls  also  com¬ 
mon  to  this  bed.  Besides  its  similarity  in  appearance  and  occurrence 
as  a  basis  of  correlation  with  No.  2  coal,  there  is  a  similarity  in  the 
flora  in  the  shale  above  this  coal  and  in  that  above  the  coal  at  La  Salle, 
which  Dr.  David  White1  regards  as  suggestive  of  correlation. 

STRATA  BETWEEN  NO.  2  AND  NO.  5  COALS 

The  interval  between  No.  2  and  No.  5  coals  varies  from  110  to  140 
feet,  and  except  for  the  uppermost  25  feet,  is  known  only  from  records 
of  test  holes,  wells,  and  shafts.  The  section  seems  to  be  largely  shale 
with  some  bands  of  ironstone  or  hard  limestone  probably  containing 
considerable  pyrite  or  iron  carbonate,  and  with  layers  of  sandstone. 
A  few  records  show  streaks  of  coal  interbedded  with  the  shale.  The 
massive  sandstone  found  in  the  upper  part  of  the  series  between  coals 
No.  2  and  No.  5  in  Fulton  County  does  not  seem  to  be  generally  pres¬ 
ent  at  least  in  eastern  Peoria  County. 

no.  5  COAL 

No.  5  coal  is  a  single  bed  without  partings  or  bands  and  varies 
from  about  4  feet  to  4  feet  8  inches  in  thickness.  The  bed  is  cut  by 
numerous  clay  “veins”  which  also  penetrate  the  strata  above  the  coal 
for  an  undetermined  distance.  When  narrow  and  not  filled  with  clay 
gouge,  the  vertical  fractures  are  commonly  cemented  by  a  pyritic  vein 
material.  The  coal  contains  several  varieties  of  “sulphur”  or  pyrite, 
such  as  sulphur  balls,  lenses  of  gray  and  brown  sulphur,  sulphur  spars 
or  vein  filling  noted  in  the  preceding  sentence,  and  “blackjack”  or  py- 
ritized  mother  coal.  Of  these  forms  probably  the  gray  to  brown 
lenses  of  laminated  pyrite  which  occur  in  special  abundance  near  the 
horsebacks  constitute  the  most  characteristic  variety.  The  coal  dis¬ 
plays  no  physical  characteristics  in  itself  that  serve  to  distinguish  it 
from  other  coals  in  the  State.  It  has  the  usual  banded  appearance  of 
Illinois  coals  due  to  interlamination  of  dull  and  bright  coal. 

Distribution  of  No.  5  coal. — As  No.  5  coal  lies  above  the  level 
of  the  present  drainage  lines  in  a  considerable  part  of  the  county,  it  is 
consequently  absent  within  the  Illinois  valley  and  for  some  distance 


iOp.  cit.,  p.  26. 


162 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


up  the  larger  tributary  valleys.  Above  Kramm,  the  coal  outcrops  along 
the  sides  of  Ivickapoo  Creek  and  is  mined  by  drift  mines. 

The  distribution  of  the  coal  is  further  limited  by  pre-glacial  drain¬ 
age  lines  which  apparently  correspond  in  general  with  those  of  the 
present,  though  the  earlier  valleys  are  wider  and  deeper  than  those 
now  existing.  A  map  of  the  pre-glacial  surface  for  the  whole  of  the 
county  is  not  possible  with  the  information  now  available,  but  Plate 
VI  reproduced  here  from  Doctor  Udden’s  report1  shows  the  pre-glacial 
surface  for  the  Peoria  quadrangle.  The  following  description  of  the 
bed-rock  surface  in  the  Peoria  region  is  also  reprinted  from  the  same 
report. 

Erosion  in  pre-glacial  time  had  produced  a  land  surface  which  dif¬ 
fered  considerably  from  the  present  topography.  Since  that  time  the  land 
has  been  rebuilt  by  glaciation,  the  general  effect  of  which  has  been  to 
reduce  the  relief.  The  old  land  surface  has  undergone  some  changes  by 
post-glacial  agencies,  but  these  are  small.  The  present  surface  of  bed 
rock  is  known  mainly  from  wells  and  other  excavations  that  have  pene¬ 
trated  the  drift.  These  data  are  not  very  numerous,  but  an  attempt  has 
been  made  to  present  the  general  features  of  the  rock  surface  in  the 
quadrangle  by  contour  lines  on  a  separate  map  (PI.  VI).  Where  data 
are  wanting,  the  probable  course  of  these  contours  is  indicated  by  inter¬ 
rupted  lines. 

In  the  area  west  of  Kickapoo  Creek  and  Illinois  River,  the  old  rock 
surface  closely  parallels  that  of  the  land  today.  In  Limestone  Township 
it  reaches  an  elevation  of  675  feet  in  secs.  5  and  6.  From  here  it  descends 
southward  to  an  average  height  of  550  feet  in  the  uplands  of  Hollis  Town¬ 
ship.  The  two  Lamarsh  creeks  and  Kickapoo  Creek  above  Pottstown 
occupy  valleys  which  were  eroded  before  the  deposition  of  the  drift.  Below 
Pottstown  the  last-named  stream  evidently  has  been  lately  crowded  up  on 
the  east  slope  of  the  old  upland  to  the  west,  and  from  Horseshoe  Bottom 
to  Bartonville  it  has  cut  a  new  and  comparatively  narrow  valley  on 
this  slope. 

Under  Peoria,  and  also  under  the  upland  for  a  distance  of  3  miles 
north  from  the  city,  and  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  north  of  Farm  Creek, 
the  rock  surface  has  an  average  altitude  of  about  400  feet  above  sea  level. 
This  is  200  feet  lower  than  the  same  surface  in  Limestone  and  Hollis 
townships.  It  rises,  however,  north  from  Pottstown,  so  as  to  bring  the 
“Coal  Measures”  again  into  view  in  some  of  the  creeks  immediately  north 
of  the  north  boundary  of  the  quadrangle.  South  from  Farm  Creek,  on 
the  east  side  of  Illinois  River,  bed  rock  rises  and  reaches  its  highest  alti¬ 
tude  of  600  feet  above  the  sea  in  sec.  7,  Groveland  Township.  Under  the 
upland  to  the  south  it  gradually  sinks  to  an  average  height,  as  far  as 
known,  of  about  525  feet  in  the  south  part  of  Elm  Grove  Township.  Two 
wells  on  the  lowland  south  of  Pekin  reached  altitudes  of  430  and  420  feet 
above  sea  level  without  entering  bed  rock.  In  and  near  the  present  valley 


iOp.  cit.,  p.  51. 


Illinois  State  Geological  Survi 


Plate  VI. — Map  of  the 
elevation,  in  feet  al 


Illinois  State  Geological  Survey 


Mining  Investigations  Bull.  26,  Plate  VI 


ih 


5  Miles 


Plate  VI. — Map  of  the  Peoria  quadrangle,  showing  the  approximate 
elevation,  in  feet  above  sea  level,  of  the  surface  of  bed  rock. 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


163 


of  the  river  the  surface  of  bed  rock  is  lower  than  in  other  localities,  as 
shown  by  an  altitude  of  355  feet  above  sea  level  at  the  Colean  factory 
well,  345  feet  near  Iowa  Junction,  and  340  feet  in  the  Pekin  water¬ 
works  wells. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  beyond  the  boundary  of  the  Peoria 
quadrangle  similar  irregularities  in  the  pre-glacial  surface  also  exist 
and  it  is  quite  possible  that  in  places  lines  of  pre-glacial  or  inter-glacial 
drainage  might  have  developed  in  positions  not  now  occupied  by 
streams.  Such  is  the  case  in  the  eastern  part  of  Fulton  County  and 
it  is  not  improbable  that  some  of  these  drainage  lines  extend  into 
western  Peoria  County. 

A  third  limitation  upon  the  distribution  of  this  coal  is  an  intra- 
formational  sandstone  which  apparently  occupies  channels  cut  through 
the  coal  some  time  after  the  No.  5  coal  was  deposited  but  prior  to  the 
deposition  of  No.  6  coal.  In  other  words  it  is  believed  that  after  the 
accumulation  the  peat  and  overlying  muds  which  later  became  No.  5 
coal  and  its  roof  shales,  land  streams  came  into  existence  and  cut  chan¬ 
nels  into  and  in  many  places  through  the  muds  and  peat;  and  that 
eventually  the  channels  were  filled  with  sand,  which  later  became  sand¬ 
stone.  The  channel  deposits  apparently  have  a  fairly  definite  align¬ 
ment  similar  to  an  ordinary  stream  channel  and  probably  have  the  usual 
branches  or  tributaries,  and  gradient.  Along  such  channel  lines,  the 
coal  is  now  absent,  the  bed  terminating  laterally  against  a  massive  sand¬ 
stone,  the  sandstone  in  places  presenting  a  nearly  vertical  wall,  and 
in  other  places  appearing  first  in  the  roof  and  gradually  pinching  the 
coal  out  toward  the  bottom. 

In  parts  of  Peoria  County  it  has  been  possible  to  outline  the  posi¬ 
tion  of  the  channel  deposits  (fig.  22),  but  for  most  of  the  area  in¬ 
formation  on  which  to  base  a  map  is  insufficient.  As  this  sandstone 
is  younger  than  No.  5  coal,  further  discussion  is  reserved  for  the  fol¬ 
lowing  section  on  the  strata  between  No.  5  and  No.  6  coals. 

It  may  well  be  emphasized  here,  however,  that  in  exploring  new 
properties  in  Peoria  County  the  determination  of  the  position  and 
depth  of  the  lines  of  pre-glacial  drainage  and  the  location  of  channel 
sandstones  which  may  cut  through  the  No.  5  coal  become  matters  of 
great  importance.  It  is  not  safe  to  open  any  property  in  the  county 
without  learning  the  facts  in  regard  to  these  two  uncertain  elements. 
Carelessness  in  this  regard  may  result  in  the  operator  suddenly  find¬ 
ing  himself  without  adequate  roof  and  even  without  coal. 

STRATA  BETWEEN  NO.  5  AND  NO.  6  COALS 

Over  No.  5  coal  is  a  black  fissile  shale  (“miners’  slate”)  similar 
to  that  of  Fulton  County.  In  the  course  of  Doctor  Udden’s  more  de- 


164 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


tailed  description,1  he  mentions  the  whitish  streaks  found  in  this  shale 
as  shown  in  figure  14,  and  describes  small  calcareous  nodules  and  the 
larger  “niggerheads”  which  characterize  this  bed.  Above  the  roof 
shale  is  a  layer  of  limy  shale  which  merges  into  the  limestone  cap- 
rock  above.  When  the  clay  and  limestone  above  is  soft,  it  is  generally 
known  as  clod  and  is  very  fossiliferous.2  At  the  top  of  the  clod  in 
many  places  is  a  bed  of  sulphur  (marcasite)  2  to  6  inches  thick,  the 
lower  surface  of  which  is  very  irregular  due  to  protuberances  1  to  3 
inches  in  height  and  width,  called  by  the  miners,  “cat”  or  “cat  claw.” 
Where  the  marcasite  is  more  calcareous  and  clayey,  it  is  called  the 
“iron  band.” 

Above  the  clod  is  a  shale  which  in  most  places  measure  4  to  8 
feet  but  which  reaches  a  thickness  of  20  feet  locally,  due  to  its  uneven 
upper  surface.  This  is  overlain  by  a  sandstone  averaging  55  feet  in 
thickness,  the  lower  surface  of  which  conforms  with  the  irregularities 
of  the  uneven  surface  of  the  shale,  as  described  above.  It  is  this  sand¬ 
stone  that  in  places  continues  down  through  the  horizon  of  No.  5  coal, 
forming  what  have  been  alluded  to  above  as  the  channel  sandstones ; 
and  it  is  described  by  Udden  as  the  most  conspicuous  unit  in  the  ex¬ 
posed  section  of  the  “Coal  Measures”  in  this  region.  It  is  present 
almost  continuously  in  the  west  bluffs  of  Kickapoo  Creek  from  Bar- 
tonville  to  Pottstown  and  in  the  bluffs  of  the  same  stream  south  of 
Edwards.  It  appears  along  almost  every  stream  which  drains  the  up¬ 
land  on  the  west  side  of  Illinois  River  and  Kickapoo  Creek  and  also 
in  some  creeks  near  East  Peoria  in  Tazewell  County. 

The  sandstone  just  described  changes  somewhat  abruptly  into 
shale  and  fire  clay  above.3  There  is  generally  3  to  4  feet  of  dark  or 
gray,  slightly  sandy  shale  above  the  sandstone,  which  is  overlain  by 
2  to  3  feet  of  fire  clay  of  greenish-gray  color.  The  fire  clay  immedi¬ 
ately  underlies  No.  6  coal. 

By  way  of  summary,  a  section  of  the  outcropping  strata  from 
No.  5  coal  to  some  distance  above  No.  6  coal  is  given  below. 


iOp  nit.,  pp  29-30 

2Qp.  cit.,  p.  30 

3Op.  cit  ,  p.  32. 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


165 


Section  of  the  rocks  in  the  ivest  bluff  of  Kickapoo  Creek,  near  the  Schmidt 
mine  near  the  south  line  of  sec.  13,  Limestone  Township 


Description  of  Strata 


Drift . . 

Sandstone,  thin  bedded . . 

Shale,  black . 

Coal,  impure, 
weathered.. 

Coal .  >  No.  6 . ' 

Clay,  red . 

Coal . 

Fire  clay . 

Sandstone,  thin  bedded  and  fine¬ 
grained,  almost  shaly . 

Sandstone,  moderately  coarse,  homo¬ 
geneous . 

Sandstone,  thin  bedded,  soft,  fine 
grained,  with  thin  clay  seams.... 

Sandstone,  thick  bedded— . 

Shale  (near  mine) . 

Shale  (“slate”)— . 

Coal  (No.  5) . 


>  No.  6 . < 


Thickness 

Depth 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft. 

in. 

40 

40 

10 

.... 

50 

.... 

6 

50 

6 

.... 

7 

51 

1 

1 

8 

52 

9 

mmmm 

3 

53 

.... 

1 

1 

54 

1 

1 

6 

55 

7 

19 

i 

74 

7 

2 

i 

---- 

i 

76 

7 

13 

89 

7 

23 

....  | 

112 

7 

9 

.... 

121 

7 

1 

_____ 

122 

7 

4 

4 

126 

11 

Discussion  of  the  channel  sandstones. — The  correct  interpretation 
of  the  sandstone  “faults”  in  No.  5  coal  in  Peoria  County  is  a  matter 
of  some  moment  to  the  operators  in  the  southern  part  of  the  area, 
because  the  accepted  interpretation  will  have  considerable  control  over 
the  exploration  methods.  They  are  believed  by  the  author  to  be  chan¬ 
nel  sandstones,  but  the  older  alternative  view  of  Doctor  Udden,  pre¬ 
sented  in  his  report  on  the  Peoria  quadrangle  and  outlined  below, 
must  be  taken  into  consideration. 

The  manner  in  which  the  sandstone  cuts  out  the  coal  has  been 
described  very  briefly  in  the  preceding  section  of  No.  5  coal,  and  ad¬ 
ditional  facts  about  the  phenomenon  are  to  be  gathered  from  the 
accompanying  illustrations  (figs.  15-20)  and  the  following  notes  on 
variations  in  coal  thickness  on  fractures  adjacent  to  the  “faults”: 

In  two  of  the  mines  along-  the  east  side  of  the  channel  sandstone  or 
“fault”  in  Hollis  Township  (T.  7  N.,  R.  7  E.),  the  coal  shows  unusual 
variations  in  thickness,  the  bed  increasing  rather  than  diminishing  in 
thickness,  as  compared  with  the  average  thickness.  Sketches  and  figures 
from  the  mine  of  the  Leitner  (formerly  German)  Coal  Company,  indi¬ 
cating  that  in  places  in  this  mine  the  coal  thickens  to  10  feet,  apparently 
due  to  duplication  or  overthrusting  of  the  bed  produced  by  lateral  pressure. 
A  similar  thickening  of  the  coal  has  been  observed  in  Brewster  and  Evans 


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PEORIA  COUNTY 


167 


(Walben)  mine  in  the  short  distance  north  of  the  Leitner  mine.  In  the 
Walben  mine  no  evidence  of  overthrusting  was  observed  but  the  coal  in¬ 
creased  in  thickness  gradually  from  a  general  average  of  4  feet  6  inches 
to  5  feet  v  inches  at  the  edge  of  the  “fault/' 

In  these  same  mines  evidence  of  disturbance  is  also  seen  in  the  folding, 
fracturing  and  shattering  which  affects  the  coal,  as  illustrated  in  figures 
Id  to  20.  In  some  instances  the  coal  is  so  brecciated  and  broken  that  it 
may  be  easily  worked  with  pick  and  shovel. 

After  describing  in  accurate  details  the  fractures,  disturbances, 


Fig.  16. — Photograph  of  the  roof  and  southwest  wall  of  main  entry  of  the 
Leitner  Coal  Company’s  mine  in  the  SE.  XA  sec.  2,  T.  7  N.,  R.  7  E. 

Looking  southeast.  (See  fig.  15,  d.)  A  projecting  flange  of  the  coal  is  seen 
in  the  center  rising  in  the  roof  over  the  timbers.  Several  of  the  shear¬ 
ing  joints  show  indistinct  horizontal  striae  or  flutings. 

Reproduced  from  Bull.  506  by  permission  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey. 


168 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


and  thickening  of  the  coal  at  the  contact  of  the  coal  and  the  channel 
sandstone,  as  summarized  above,  Udden  1  assigns  the  phenomena  to 
glacial  fracturing: 

“The  author  believes  that  the  fractures  are  disturbances  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  soft  bed  rock,  caused  by  the  pressure  and  motion  of  a  con¬ 
tinental  ice  sheet  in  Pleistocene  time;  that  they  are  planes  marking  the 
outlines  of  immense  blocks  of  the  uppermost  rock  strata,  tens,  or  possibly 
hundreds  of  acres  in  extent,  which  have  been  dislodged  from  their  original 
position,  displaced,  fractured,  rotated  horizontally  and  in  places  vertically, 
and  partly  ground  into  the  till.  He  regards  the  region  as  having  been  a 
locus  of  incipient  glacial  abrasion.  Instead  of  thoroughly  triturating  the 
grist,  the  glacial  mill  here  merely  blocked  it  out  of  the  old  land  on  which 
it  spent  its  force.” 


Fig.  17. — Photograph  of  the  left  (southwest)  wall  of  the  mine  entry  shown 
in  Figure  16. 


Looking  southwest.  (See  fig.  15,  /.)  A  fracture  runs  diagonally  across  the 
center  of  the  field  separating  the  sandstone  on  the  left  from  the  coal  on 
the  right.  Near  the  sandstone  the  coal  is  shattered  and  mixed  with 
fragments  of  shale  and  sandstone. 

Reproduced  from  Bull.  506,  by  permission  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey. 

lUdden,  J.  A.,  Geology  and  mineral  resources  of  the  Peoria  quadrangle: 
U.  S.  Geological  Survey  Bull.  506,  p.  77,  1912. 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


169 


In  support  of  Udden’s  theory,  it  is  true  that  along  the  lines  of 
the  pre-glacial  valleys,  especially  where  cut  into  deeply  by  the  present 
streams,  there  is  abundant  evidence  of  local  dislocation  by  what  may 
be  called  ice  push.  And  it  is  also  true  that  such  localities  in  some 
instances  happen  to  be  in  areas  corresponding  to  or  contiguous  to  the 
area  occupied  by  the  channel  sandstone  in  the  Lamarsh  Creek  basin. 
However,  in  the  author’s  opinion,  to  assign  the  absence  of  the  coal  and 
other  phenomena  observed  at  the  sandstone  “faults,”  to  glacial  dislo¬ 
cation  seems  to  call  for  an  unusual  and  almost  improbable  exhibition 
of  glacial  activity. 


Fig.  18. — Another  view  of  the  mine  wall  shown  in  Figure  17.  (See  fig”.  15, 
g .)  An  S-shaped  sheared  fracture  is  indicated  by  the  letters  a ,  b,  c. 
Somewhat  irregular  indistinct  horizontal  flutings  appear  to  the  right 
of  a  line  joining  a  and  b. 

Reproduced  from  Bull.  506,  by  permission  of  the  U,  S.  Geological  Survey. 


170 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


The  author’s  interpretation  of  the  sandstone  “faults”  is  indicated 
by  the  use  of  the  term  “channel  sandstone”  and  is  outlined  here  in 
historical  form : 

After  the  accumulation  of  the  peat  and  overlying  muds  now 
represented  by  No.  5  coal  and  its  roof  shales,  land  streams  came  into 
existence  and  cut  channels  into  the  muds  and  peat,  thereby  removing 
both  mud  and  peat  along  their  courses  (fig.  21  A).  Eventually  a  layer 
of  sand  at  least  a  score  of  feet  thick  and  in  many  places  much  thicker 


Fig.  19. — View  of  the  right  (northeast)  wall  of  the  same  mine  entry  as 
Shown  in  figures  15,  16,  17,  and  18. 

Looking-  northeast.  (See  fig.  15,  k,  opposite  g.)  The  fractured  face  of  the 
coal  appears  above  and  to  the  left  of  the  receding  entry  in  the  lower 
right-hand  corner  of  the  view.  Horizontal  flutings  appear  on  the  face 
of  the  coal  at  a.  An  S-shaped  belt  of  fissured  coal  and  shale  separates 
the  coal  from  the  sandstone  on  the  left,  and  other  fissures,  roughly 
parallel  to  this  belt,  appear  indistinctly  at  b. 

Reproduced  from  Bull.  506,  by  permission  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey. 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


171 


was  spread  widely  over  the  region,  thickest  of  course  along  the  posi¬ 
tions  of  the  channels  and  thinner  over  the  intervening  areas  (fig.  21B). 
Subsequently  the  sand  was  covered  over  by  the  muds  and  silts  upon 
which  the  peat  for  No.  6  coal  was  still  later  deposited.  With  the  burial 
of  the  peat  and  overlying  muds  and  sands  under  an  increasing  load 
of  still  younger  sediments,  the  peat  changed  gradually  into  coal  and 
the  muds  and  sands  into  shales  and  sandstones.  In  such  a  process  of 
consolidation,  the  muds  and  shales  shrink  comparatively  little,  but  the 
peat  is  reduced  to  some  such  fraction  as  one-fifth  of  its  original  thick¬ 
ness.  The  consequent  differential  shrinkage  between  the  strata  away 
from  the  channel  lines  resulted  in  the  setting  up  of  pressures  and 
strains  which  were  relieved  in  such  a  way  that  the  fracturing,  coal 


Fig.  20. — Another  view  of  the  mine  wall  shown  in  Figure  16.  (See  fig.  15, 
opposite  h.)  Bed  a  is  dark  shale  with  some  streaks  of  coal,  somewhat 
shattered,  possibly  the  same  as  b;  b  is  the  roof  shale  of  No.  5  coal;  c 
is  No.  5  coal;  d  is  sandstone. 

Reproduced  from  Bull.  506,  by  permission  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey. 


172 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


thickening,  and  attendant  phenomena  exhibited  at  the  “faults,”  were 
developed.  Figure  21 C  is  an  attempt  to  present  diagrammatically  the 
author’s  idea  of  the  way  in  which  the  forces  probably  acted  in  effecting 
the  readjustments  made  necessary  by  the  differential  shrinkage. 

The  economic  bearing  of  the  correct  interpretation  of  the  phe¬ 
nomena  rests  upon  the  importance  of  determining  the  nature  of  the 


Fracture  zone 


Fracture  zone 


C 


x  '  v  '  v  x  X 

*  X  FLOOR  CLAY  X  X  w 

X  -  x  X  x  x  *  X  X  X L  *  X 


x  v  x  x 

x '  -  X  X 

X  X  X  X 
X  X  X  X 


X  -X  „  x 

XX  floor  clayx  X  X 

*  X  x  x  x  x  A  X  A  X  A  X  x  X  x  -X  / 


50 

40 

30- 

20- 

10 

a 


Fig.  21 — Diagrammatic  sketch,  indicating  probable  original  conditions, 
movements,  and  results,  in  the  formation  of  the  channel  sandstones 
(“faults”)  of  Peoria  County.  See  text  for  explanation. 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


173 


“fault. ”  If  this  is  a  purely  glacial  phenomenon  related  to  ice  shove, 
as  proposed  by  Udden,  then  the  delineation  of  areas  where  such  a 
phenomenon  is  to  be  found  becomes  very  difficult.  But  if  on  the  other 
hand  the  disturbance  can  be  traced  to  the  existence  of  a  channel  sand¬ 
stone,  it  becomes  a  matter  of  reasonable  possibility  to  locate  the  posi¬ 
tion  and  trend  of  such  a  deposit.  Without  examining  the  “channel 
sandstone”  interpretation  at  length,  two  points  may  well  be  mentioned 
here  in  its  support,  the  first  very  briefly,  but  the  second  in  somewhat 
more  detail  and  with  a  map  because  of  its  weight  and  its  practical 
application  to  the  “fault”  problem. 

1.  The  pressures  and  strains  developed  by  differential  settling  of 
the  magnitude  assumed,  would  seem  to  be  entirely  adequate  to  the 
production  of  the  features  now  observed  at  the  “faults.” 

2.  As  a  result  of  the  past  ten  years’  investigation,  drilling,  and 
mine  operations,  engineers  and  operators  have  analyzed  the  “faults” 
as  masses  of  sandstone  penetrating  below  the  horizon  of  the  coal  and 
have  blocked  out  their  extent  over  an  area  sufficient  to  indicate  that 
they  have  the  general  alignment  of  stream  channels. 

The  position  of  the  channel  sandstones  over  the  whole  of  the 
Peoria  region  is  not  very  definitely  known.  Many  of  the  mines  south 
of  Peoria  and  those  in  Tazewell  County  near  East  Peoria  have  felt 
out  the  edge  of  the  “faults”  so  that  some  idea  of  the  position  of  one 
of  the  sandstones  is  available.  South  of  Peoria  the  Leitner  Coal  Com¬ 
pany’s  mine,  and  the  Walben  mine,  M.  E.  Case  Coal  Company  have 
worked  up  to  the  edge  of  the  sandstone.  The  Wolschlag  mine  is  re¬ 
ported  to  lie  immediately  to  the  east  of  the  “fault.”  Numerous  drill 
holes  to  test  the  coal  have  penetrated  the  sandstone  in  the  area  lying 
between  the  east  branch  of  Eamarsh  Creek  and  the  Illinois.  Additional 
drilling  has  been  recently  completed  west  of  the  east  branch  of  La- 
marsh  Creek.  The  area  of  coal  affected  by  the  sandstone  seems  to 
be  confined  to  a  strip  of  territory  lying  along  the  east  side  of  the 
valley  of  the  east  branch  of  Lamarsh  Creek  and  extending  south  of 
Eamarsh  Creek  along  the  bluff  of  the  Illinois  as  far  as  Mapleton.  A 
similar  area  where  the  sandstone  cuts  out  the  coal  is  reported  in  the 
vicinity  of  Wesley  in  Tazewell  County. 

The  accompanying  map  (fig.  22)  shows  the  status  of  information 
concerning  the  position  of  the  channel  sandstone  south  of  Peoria  and 
in  Hollis  and  Limestone  townships  as  worked  out  largely  by  Mr.  W. 
C.  Evans  of  Peoria  by  drilling  and  observation  in  mines. 


Hoo  z 


R.7E. 


r 


Drillhole  to  No. 
5  coal. 

Not  deep  enough. 

No.  5  coal  erod¬ 
ed. 

No.  5  coal  partly 
eroded. 

Approximate  lo¬ 
cation. 

Outcrop  of  No.  5 
coal. 

Shipping  mine. 

Abandoned  ship¬ 
ping  mine. 

Local  mine. 

No.  5  coal  absent 
or  fractured. 

Channel  sand¬ 
stone  area. 


PEK  N 


NDEO 


Fig.  22. — Map  showing  the  position  of  the  channel  sandstone  south  of  Peoria. 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


175 


With  the  meager  reports  that  are  in  existence  concerning  the 
succession  of  strata  in  the  part  of  Peoria  County  outside  of  the  Peoria 
quadrangle  it  is  impossible  to  say  that  there  are  no  other  areas  of  chan¬ 
nel  sandstone  in  the  county,  penetrating  the  horizon  of  No.  5  coal. 
None  of  the  mines  located  at  Planna,  Glassford,  or  Kramms  reports 
such  ‘‘faults”  in  the  area  under  operation.  However,  exploration  of 
undeveloped  coal  land  should  be  guided  by  the  possibility  of  such  an 
irregularity  being  present. 


no.  6  COAL 

No.  6  coal  lies  in  two  benches,  separated  by  a  layer  of  clay  known 
as  the  “blue  band.”  Part  of  Udden’s  description  1  of  this  coal  is  cited 
herewith : 

“The  lower  bench  varies  from  1  foot  3  inches  to  1  foot  8  inches  thick. 
The  ‘clay  band’  as  the  ‘blue  band’  is  also  called  by  the  miners,  is  uniform 
and  persistent,  being  absent  in  a  few  places,  and  is  2  to  3  inches  thick. 
The  upper  bench  of  the  coal  is  in  many  places  partly  destroyed.  *  *  * 
Where  intact,  it  measures  2  feet  1  inch  to  2  feet  6  inches  thick.  In  ad¬ 
dition  to  this  there  is  in  places  about  6  inches  of  bony  coal,  which  was 
probably  only  locally  deposited.  *  *  *  In  places  the  lower  part  of  the  coal 
has  two  interrupted  bands  of  marca'site,  one  about  5  inches  from  the  bot¬ 
tom  and  the  other  9  inches  higher  up.  These  measure  one-fourth  to  one- 
half  inch  thick.” 

Field  investigations,  drilling,  and  some  mining  of  this  bed  dem¬ 
onstrate  that  No.  6  coal  is  more  uncertain  in  its  distribution  than 
No.  5.  The  seam  varies  greatly  in  thickness  and  in  places  seems  to 
be  entirely  missing.  The  cause  of  its  irregular  distribution  seems  to 
be  erosion  subsequent  to  deposition  rather  than  failure  of  deposition. 
In  the  case  of  No.  5  coal,  the  removal  of  the  peat  and  absence  of  the 
coal  was  along  rather  well-defined  lines  of  what  were  apparently  the 
courses  of  stream  channels.  But  the  removal  of  No.  6  coal  was  seem¬ 
ingly  along  less  definitely  organized  lines  suggesting  that  possibly  the 
irregularities  in  the  coal  are  actually  inheritances  of  irregularities  in 
the  original  bog  in  the  low  parts  of  which  there  may  have  been  open- 
water  ponds  and  sluggish  streams,  these  channels  and  ponds  being 
ultimately  filled  with  silt  and  sand.  These  conditions  of  deposition 
seem  to  have  persisted  over  the  entire  area  in  which  No.  6  coal  was 
deposited  in  the  State.  The  coal  seems  to  have  been  more  commonly 
affected  by  the  irregularities  in  this  region  than  in  some  parts  of  the 
State,  but  the  general  nature  of  the  irregularities  seems  to  be  every¬ 
where  the  same. 


iOp.  cit.,  p.  33. 


176 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


MC  LEANSBORO  FORMATION 
STRATA  BETWEEN  NO.  6  AND  NO.  7  COALS. 

In  Peoria  County  the  strata  composing  the  McLeansboro  forma¬ 
tion  include  all  the  rocks  between  the  drift  and  No.  6  coal.  No.  7  coal, 
one  of  the  widespread  coal  beds  of  the  State,  which  in  the  Danville 
and  Longwall  districts  is  of  workable  thickness,  occurs  25  to  30  feet 
above  the  base  of  the  formation,  but  in  this  district  is  nowhere  of  com¬ 
mercial  thickness. 

The  strata  overlying  No.  6  coal  vary  considerably.  The  normal 
succession,  occurring  where  the  entire  section  is  present,  consists  of  a 
gray  shale,  in  places  dark  gray,  18  inches  to  2  feet  thick,  overlain  by 
limestone  averaging  a  little  more  than  2  feet  and  in  sixteen  measure¬ 
ments,  according  to  Udden,  ranging  from  3  inches  to  4  feet.  In  many 
places  the  shale  above  the  coal  is  replaced  by  a  variable  sandy  deposit 
known  among  the  miners  as  “white  top.”  Udden  expresses  the  opinion 
that  this  deposit  is  of  much  later  age  than  the  strata  it  replaces  or 
between  which  it  is  inclosed  and  suggests  that  it  originated  as  cave 
wash  in  solution  cavities  located  in  the  under  part  of  the  limestone 
cap-rock,  erosion  in  which  also  affected  the  upper  part  of  the  coal  bed.1 
The  present  writer,  on  the  other  hand,  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  sandy 
shale  composing  the  “white  top”  represents  deposits  in  depressions  in 
the  original  peat  bog.  It  is  believed  that  the  lack  of  well-defined  bed¬ 
ding  in  these  deposits  and  the  presence  of  slickensided  surfaces  and 
partings  and  the  conchoidal  fracture  of  the  material  which  Udden  cites 
as  evidence  of  the  “cave”  origin,  were  produced  as  a  result  of  the 
“kneading”  to  which  the  deposits  were  subjected  because  of  the  differ¬ 
ential  shrinkage  of  areas  of  the  peat  of  considerably  different  thickness. 
The  shrinkage  of  a  bed  of  peat  to  coal  now  about  4  feet  thick  would 
be  in  some  proportion  ranging  between  32  to  1  and  3  to  1,  5  to  1  being 
apparently  the  approximate  average  proportion  that  holds  for  Illinois 
coals.  It  is  clear  that  if  the  coal  in  places  is  4  feet  thick  and  in  other 
places  because  of  the  presence  of  a  lenticular  body  of  shale  embedded 
in  its  upper  part  only  half  as  thick  or  less,  movement  must  have  taken 
place  to  adjust  the  strains  that  resulted  from  differential  shrinkage  of 
the  thick  and  thin  peat.  As  a  result  of  the  readjustments  that  must 
take  place  in  the  lens  of  sandy  shale  or  “white  top”  this  material  will 
be  “kneaded”  and  fractured  and  will  tend  to  lose  much  if  not  all  of  its 
originally  laminated  structure.  The  material  will  accordingly  furnish 
a  very  treacherous  roof  because  of  lack  of  coherence.  Not  uncom¬ 
monly  the  strains  are  carried  downward  into  the  coal,  fracturing  and 
displacing  it,  especially  along  the  edge  of  the  “white  top”  masses. 


lOp.  cit.,  pp.  84-85. 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


177 


The  cap-rock  of  No.  6  coal  is  fairly-  continuous,  apparently  even 
more  continuous  than  the  coal  itself.  The  rock  is  an  impure  argil¬ 
laceous  limestone,  the  lime  content  of  which  does  not  appear  to  com¬ 
prise  much  more  than  half  the  rock.  It  does  not  have  the  appearance 
of  a  rock  that  would  develop  large  cavities  by  the  action  of  ground 
water.  Udden1  describes  the  rock  as  follows: 

“.Clay  seams  separate  it  into  four  or  five  beds  of  unequal  thickness. 
In  places  the  middle  beds  weather  into  blocks  a  foot  and  a  half  thick.  The 
thin  top  layer  is  in  places  separated  from  the  other  beds  by  a  seam  of 
clay  measuring  several  inches. 

“The  rock  is  light  gray  in  color.  In  places  it  exhibits  an  indistinct 
nodular  or  concretionary  structure,  the  nodules  measuring  one-half  to  one 
inch  in  diameter,  but  this  is  not  general.  With  the  aid  of  a  lens  nearly 
one-third  of  the  mass  of  the  upper  beds  is  seen  to  consist  of  organic  frag¬ 
ments,  representing  mostly  brachiopods,  crinoids,  and  Fusulinas.  These 
lie  embedded  in  an  apparently  structureless  calcareous  matrix.  Many  of 
the  shell  fragments  are  appreciably  rounded.  Fragments  of  Fusulina 
can  be  found  in  every  piece  of  rock.  Another  constant  characteristic  is  the 
presence,  especially  in  the  upper  beds,  of  black  nodular  lumps  impregnated 
with  bituminous  material.  They  are  sharply  delineated  from  the  matrix 
and  exhibit  a  rough  exterior  surface.  In  many  places  they  contain  frag¬ 
ments  of  shells  and  appear  to  conform  to  the  structure  of  the  limestone 
itself.  In  size  they  vary  from  a  mere  speck  to  masses  2  inches  in  diameter. 
Generally  they  are  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in  diameter  and  slightly  flat¬ 
tened.  In  the  upper  beds  there  are  in  places  rounded  pieces  of  calamarian 
stems,  which  are  also  black  from  impregnating  bituminous  material  and 
exhibit  a  coarse  cellular  tissue/’ 

In  Illinois  the  fossil  Fusulina  (now  known  as  Girtyina)  mentioned 
in  the  foregoing  quotation  is  apparently  restricted  in  its  occurrence  to 
the  limestone  cap-rock  of  No.  6  coal  and  to  a  limestone  supposed  to 
occur  several  hundred  feet  above  No.  6  coal  and  found  only  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  State.  The  fossil  has  somewhat  the  appearance  of 
a  short  thick  oat  grain.  Because  it  is  almost  invariably  present  in 
every  piece  of  the  rock  down  to  the  size  of  a  walnut  and  is  rather 
readily  found,  it  serves  as  an  accurate  and  practical  method  of  identi¬ 
fying  this  limestone  and  the  coal  a  short  distance  beneath  it. 

Above  the  limestone  is  light-gray  or  greenish  shale  or  “soapstone” 
above  which  is  a  massive  sandstone,  but  which  ranges  in  thickness 
from  10  to  25  feet  but  averages  about  20  feet.  Between  the  sandstone 
and  the  fire  clay  of  No.  7  coal  is  generally  clay  shale  1  to  8  feet  thick. 
In  some  places  this  is  dark  greenish  gray,  and  in  others  dark  red  or 
brown.  This  red  clay  Udden  regards  as  an  infallible  guiding  stratum 
for  the  coal  beds  of  this  region.  Where  present,  it  lies  from  8  to  16 


iOp.  cit.,  p.  34. 


178 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


feet  under  coal  bed  No.  7  and  no  other  red  clay  is  exposed  in  the  Penn¬ 
sylvanian  system  in  the  Peoria  region.  It  is  noteworthy  that  a  bed  of 
variegated  shales  is  also  reported  to  be  present  in  District  VII1  within 
50  feet  above  No.  6  coal.  As  a  rule  in  that  area  they  he  a  short  dis¬ 
tance  above  No.  7  coal. 

no.  7  COAL 

No.  7  coal  is  generally  present  in  the  county  except  where  it  has 
been  removed  by  erosion.  It  maintains  a  very  uniform  thickness  of 
about  18  inches,  which  is  insufficient  to  make  the  coal  of  commercial 
value,  at  least  for  many  years. 

Udden  states  that  the  coal  is  especially  characterized  by  lenses  of 
mineral  charcoal  commonly  found  near  the  top  of  the  bed.  In  places 
the  charcoal  is  impregnated  with  pyrite  and  appears  as  “sulphur  cakes” 
or  “blackjack.” 

STRATA  ABOVE  NO.  7  COAL 

The  roof  of  No.  7  coal  consists  of  a  few  inches  of  gray  soft  shale 
resting  upon  the  coal  and  above  this,  black  shale  in  varying  thickness 
from  6  inches  to  2  feet.  In  some  places  the  black  shale  rests  directly 
upon  the  coal.  Above  the  black  shale  there  are  in  most  places  a  few 
feet  of  slightly  siliceous  and  micaceous  shale.  The  overlying  sandstone 
rests  upon  an  uneven  surface  of  sufficient  relief  to  entirely  eliminate 
the  upper  shale  in  many  places  so  that  it  rests  upon  the  underlying 
black  shale  and  even  upon  the  gray  clay  below.  The  sandstone  varies 
in  texture  from  sandy  shale  to  sandstone.  Generally  the  lower  beds 
are  coarser.  Udden  states2  that  about  a  mile  west  of  Bartonville  this 
sandstone  is  nearly  40  feet  thick. 

At  the  top  of  these  sandy  beds  is  about  6 Yi  feet  of  dark  shale, 
part  of  which  is  thought  by  Udden  to  represent  an  old  soil.  This  is 
followed  by  a  20-foot  limestone  ledge,  known  as  the  Lonsdale  limestone 
from  its  exposure  at  the  old  Lonsdale  quarries.  “The  lower  5  feet  of 
this  rock  consists  of  a  firmly  cemented  largely  organic  limestone,  in 
beds  varying  in  thickness  from  6  inches  to  1%  feet.”  In  places  part  of 
the  rock  consists  “of  a  calcareous  mud-lump  breccia,  in  which  regular 
lumps  of  a  dark  compact  structureless  carbonate  of  lime  are  embedded 
in  a  less  pure,  greenish-gray  matrix.  In  this  matrix  fragments  of 
fossils  also  occur.”  Above  these  firm  beds  there  are  15  feet  of  a 
slightly  argillaceous  and  more  flaggy  rock,  in  which  concretionary 
structure  can  nearly  always  be  detected.3 

Above  the  limestone  is  a  15-foot  sandstone  which  has  only  a 

lKay,  F.  H.,  Coal  Resources  of  District  VII:  Illinois  Coal  Mining-  Investi¬ 
gations  Bull.  11,  p.  24,  1915. 

2U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Bull.  506,  p.  38. 

30p.  cit.,  p.  40. 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


179 


limited  distribution  as  has  also  the  overlying  dark  shale,  which  is  the 
uppermost  Pennsylvanian  stratum  in  the  Peoria  quadrangle.  The  gen¬ 
eral  dip  of  the  rocks  toward  the  southeast  makes  it  probable  that  the 
youngest  “Coal  Measures”  rocks  will  be  found  in  the  southeast  part  of 
the  county. 

Deposits  Above  the  Coae-bearing  Rocks 

The  material  overlying  the  Pennsylvanian  strata  consists  either  of 
alluvium  or  glacial  drift,  that  is  unconsolidated  stony  clay,  and  sand 
and  gravel.  Because  the  bed-rock  surface  was  a  land  surface  before 
glaciation,  except  for  a  relatively  thin  covering  of  soil  and  of  alluvium 
along  streams,  it  was  affected  by  the  ordinary  processes  of  stream 
action  which  produced  the  usual  organized  lines  of  drainage  with 
divides  separating  them.  The  glacial  drift  left  by  the  continental  ice 
sheet  tended  to  cover  up  the  inequalities  in  the  surface  overridden  by 
the  ice,  and  to  produce  a  new  surface  with  a  relief  originating  in  the 
unequal  distribution  and  thickness  of  the  drift.  The  drift  has  a  bear¬ 
ing  on  mining  operations  because  it  conceals  the  form  of  the  underlying 
rock  surface  and  the  character  of  the  outcropping  rocks,  and  renders 
the  distribution  a  single  stratum,  such  as  a  coal  bed,  difficult  to  deter¬ 
mine  without  drilling. 

The  alluvium  is  confined  to  the  valleys.  The  river  which  occupied 
the  valley  of  the  Illinois  before  glacial  time  flowed  at  a  much  lower 
level  and  at  a  position  slightly  different  from  that  of  the  present  river. 
The  map  of  the  pre-glacial  surface  (PI.  VI)  shows  the  position  of  the 
pre-glacial  valley  and  the  altitude  of  the  channel.  It  will  be  noted  that 
the  deepest  part  of  this  valley  had  an  altitude  of  about  350  feet  above 
sea  level.  As  No.  2  coal  lies  at  an  altitude  of  about  300  feet  in  the 
vicinity  of  Orchard  Mines  and  Pekin,  it  follows  that  this  coal  is  prob¬ 
ably  very  lightly  covered  with  drift  if  not  removed  within  the  pre¬ 
glacial  Illinois  valley  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county.  What  is 
possibly  this  coal  is  reported  to  outcrop  below  the  valley  fill  beneath 
the  bed  of  the  river  about  opposite  Kingston  Mines.1 

The  wide  area  of  deep  filling  at  Peoria  and  up  Kickapoo  Creek 
and  a  similar  area  of  thick  drift  across  the  Illinois  in  Fondulac  Town¬ 
ship,  Tazewell  County,  and  the  general  slopes  of  the  old  pre-glacial 
upland  surface  in  Kickapoo,  Limestone,  and  Hollis  townships  and  in 
Groveland  Township,  Tazewell  County,  suggest  to  Udden2  the  pos¬ 
sibility  that  the  old  upland  was  continuous  across  the  valley  at  the 
position  of  present  narrows  between  Bartonville  and  Hollis.  This 

iCooley,  Hyman  E.,  The  Illinois  River;  physical  relations  and  removal  of 
^64 navigation  dams:  Sanitary  District  of  Chicago,  Chart  opposite  page  42, 

2U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  Bull.  506,  p.  52. 


180 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


upland  in  that  case  would  represent  a  divide  between  a  stream  crossing 
the  course  of  the  present  Illinois  in  a  northwest-southeast  direction  at 
about  the  position  of  Peoria  and  Kickapoo  Creek  and  another  stream 
farther  south.  Udden,  however,  presents  another  hypothesis  to  account 
for  the  narrows.  “If  the  Illinois  River  valley  antedates  the  glacial 
epoch,  its  narrow  course  between  Iowa  Junction  and  Pekin  may  be  due 
to  the  comparatively  more  resistant  sandstone  above  coal  bed  No.  5 
which  prevented  as  rapid  recession  of  the  bluffs  on  both  sides  of  the 
valley  as  has  taken  place  elsewhere.” 

The  character  and  position  of  the  pre-glacial  valleys  in  Peoria 
County  that  may  exist  outside  of  the  area  of  the  Peoria  quadrangle 
have  not  been  reported. 

Outcrops  along  the  west  bluff  of  the  Illinois  are  nearly  continuous 
southward  from  Kickapoo  Creek,  and  northward  from  Senachwine 
Creek  at  Chillicothe.  Between  Peoria  and  Chillicothe,  however,  the 
bluffs  are  composed  of  glacial  till,  representing  remnants  of  the  filling 
in  the  pre-glacial  Illinois  valley. 

The  Minable  Coae  of  Peoria  County 

Udden  states  that  no  less  than  seven  coal  beds  occur  in  the  Penn¬ 
sylvanian  rocks  of  the  Peoria  region,  of  which  only  three  are  exposed. 
Of  these  seven,  but  four  have  commercial  value,  and  of  these  four  only 
three  have  been  operated  during  the  last  calendar  year.  The  beds  of 
workable  thickness  are  No.  1,  No.  2,  No.  5,  No.  6,  and  No.  7.  Of  these 
only  No.  5  is  worked  extensively  on  a  commercial  scale.  One  com¬ 
mercial  mine  has  reopened  workings  in  No.  2  coal,  and  several  wagon 
mines  operating  No.  6  and  No.  7  coal.  The  general  character  of  these 
coals  has  been  described  in  the  section  devoted  to  the  geological  suc¬ 
cession  in  Peoria  County.  It  remains  to  consider  the  coals  from  an 
economic  viewpoint  and  to  review  the  factors  that  affect  its  commercial 
value.  These  are  distribution,  thickness,  chemical  character  of  the  coal, 
nature  of  impurities  and  irregularities,  and  character  of  roof  and  floor. 
The  coals  will  be  described  in  an  order  the  reverse  of  that  just  used  in 
discussion  of  the  strata  of  the  Pennsylvanian  system. 

.  ,  no.  7  COAL 

No.  7  coal  is  not  of  workable  thickness  in  the  central  and  southern 
part  of  the  county.  Udden1  states  that  the  coal  averages  1  foot  5  inches 
in  the  Peoria  quadrangle,  and  that  the  uniformity  of  its  thickness  is 
remarkable  in  that  area.  Worthen2  states  in  regard  to  this  coal  that: 

lUdden,  J.  A.,  Geology  and  mineral  resources  of  the  Peoria  quadrangle: 
U.  S.  Geological  Survey  Bull.  506,  p.36,  1912. 

2Worthen,  A.  H.,  Geological  Survey  of  Illinois,  Yol.  5,  p.  249,  1873. 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


181 


“In  the  northern  portion  of  the  county,  No.  7  is  the  principal  coal 
outcropping  above  the  valleys  of  the  streams,  and  the  lower  seams  can 
only  be  reached  by  shafts,  or  by  an  inclined  tunnel  carried  down  to  their 
level.  This  seam  ranges  from  two  and  a  half  to  three  feet  in  thickness 
in  this  part  of  the  county,  and  its  outcrop  may  be  found  on  most  of  the 
small  streams.  It  is  very  regular  in  its  development,  and  affords  a  coal 
of  fair  quality  where  it  is  mined  beyond  the  influence  of  atmospheric 
agencies.” 

The  thickening  of  No.  7  coal  northward  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  county  and  thence  toward  the  Longwall  District  parallels  a  thinning 
of  No.  6  coal  in  the  same  direction.  In  the  northern  district  No.  6 
coal  is  apparently  absent,  whereas  No.  7  has  a  thickness  of  between 
4  and  5  feet.  In  northeastern  Peoria  County  north  of  Chillicothe,  No. 
7  coal  has  been  worked  at  a  number  of  wagon  mines.  In  this  vicinity 
the  coal  is  about  three  feet  thick.  The  Survey  has  little  definite  in¬ 
formation  in  regard  to  the  area  underlain  by  No.  7  coal  of  workable 
thickness,  or  of  the  general  mining  conditions. 

MINE  NOTES,  NO.  7  COAL 

The  following  notes  taken  in  Crew  Brothers’  mine  north  of  Chilli¬ 
cothe  in  1909  are  given  in  lieu  of  more  adequate  data. 

CREW  BROTHERS’  LOCAL  MINE,  NEAR  CHILLICOTHE 

Entrance:  Drift;  No.  7  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  2  feet  to  SV2  feet;  averages  3  feet. 

Section  of  the  coal: 

Section  of  No.  7  coal  in  Crew  Brothers ’  mine,  near  Chillicothe 

Thickness 


Ft.  in. 

Roof:  Black  slate,  or  soapstone . 

Coal  .  10% 

Trace  of  clay . 

Coal  .  . .  (>  V2 

Trace  of  clay . 

Coal  .  6 

Parting  . 

Coal  .  7!4 

Mother  coal  and  trace  of  pyrite .  1 

Coal  .  4 

Floor:  Fire  clay . 

2  11% 


Character  of  the  coal:  The  seam  is  fairly  uniform  throughout.  The 
bottom  coal,  below  the  mother  coal,  and  the  coal  just  above  the  mother 
coal  are  somewhat  harder  than  the  other  benches.  The  trace  of  pyrite  in 
the  mother  coal  is  persistent  throughout  the  mine.  It  was  called  the  “blue 
band,”  but  is  not  to  be  confused  with  the  well-known  “blue  band”  so 
characteristic  of  No.  6  coal. 


182 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Character  of  the  roof  and  floor:  The  roof  is  a  black  shale  or  “slate” 
which  is  in  places  replaced  by  “soapstone.”  There  was  no  limestone  present 
as  a  cap-rock.  The  floor  is  fire  clay. 

NO.  6  COAL 

As  No.  6  coal  lies  at  an  altitude  of  about  550  feet  in  the  Peoria 
region,  it  is  consequently  above  the  level  of  the  Illinois  and  of  Kickapoo 
Creek  for  a  considerable  distance  above  the  mouth  of  the  Kickapoo. 
In  western  Peoria  County  at  Elmwood  No.  6  coal  is  below  stream  level 
and  has  an  altitude  of  about  575  to  600  feet.  It  has  about  the  same 
altitude  at  Princeville.  It  is  apparent  that  most  of  the  county  is  under¬ 
lain  by  this  coal,  that  it  is  generally  under  sufficient  cover  and  with 
roof  undisturbed,  so  as  to  be  accessible  for  drift  mining  in  many  places, 
especially  along  Kickapoo  Creek. 

The  coal  possesses  certain  characteristics  which  stand  in  the  way 
of  its  general  exploitation.  It  is  more  irregular  in  its  development  than 
any  of  the  other  coals  and  principally  for  this  reason  it  is  generally 
neglected.  Worthen  states  in  regard  to  this  coal  that  “When  fully 
developed  it  is  quite  as  thick  as  No.  5,  but  the  miner  who  commences 
drifting  into  this  coal  on  a  promising  outcrop  from  four  to  five  feet  in 
thickness,  will  frequently,  in  a  distance  of  a  hundred  yards  or  less, 
find  the  coal  gradually  thinning  out  to  one-half  its  original  thickness.”1 
Apparently  the  coal  is  more  persistently  developed  in  workable  thick¬ 
ness  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  county  than  in  the  southern  or 
eastern  part.  Along  the  Illinois  valley  northward  from  Chillicothe  it 
seems  to  be  thinner  than  No.  7  and  has  not  been  much  worked. 

Roof  conditions  also  present  difficulties  in  the  working  of  the  coal 
that  are  not  easily  overcome.  The  regular  normal  roof  is  shale,  com¬ 
monly  gray,  but  in  places  nearly  black,  6  inches  to  possibly  3  feet  thick, 
above  which  is  a  persistent  cap-rock,  averaging  about  2  feet  thick  in 
the  Peoria  quadrangle  but  ranging  from  3  inches  to  4  feet.  It  is  pos¬ 
sibly  considerably  thicker  in  some  places  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
county.  Notes  taken  about  ten  years  ago  in  a  mine  located  near  Brim- 
field  state  that  25  to  30  feet  of  limestone  are  present  in  that  locality. 
Under  normal  roof  condition  no  serious  difficulties  are  encountered. 
The  roof  shale,  which  is  commonly  a  foot  or  less  in  thickness,  usually 
falls  soon  after  the  coal  is  extracted,  leaving  a  good  hard  limestone 
roof.  The  expense  of  removing  the  shale  is  considerable,  of -course, 
but  the  cost  of  its  removal  can  be  fairly  well  estimated,  so  that  it  can  be 
anticipated  before  a  project  is  started.  The  usual  roof,  however,  is  in 
many  places  replaced  by  “white  top,”  the  nature  and  possible  cause 


iWorthen,  A.  H.,  Geological  Survey  of  Illinois,  Vol.  5,  pp.  249-250.  1878. 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


183 


of  which  were  discussed  on  an  earlier  page.  It  is  sufficient  to  restate 
here  that  this  material  appears  to  be  the  sand  and  sandy  mud  filling  of 
depressions  existing  in  the  original  peat  swamp,  later  covered  along 
with  the  rest  of  the  area,  by  the  limestone  cap-rock.  Adjustments  that 
were  necessary  because  of  the  differential  shrinkage  during  the  change 
of  the  peat  and  sands  to  coal  and  rock  destroyed  the  original  structure 
of  the  sandy  lens,  “kneading”  and  crushing  them  until  they  now  lack 
coherence  and  are  very  difficult  to  hold.  Moreover,  the  adjustments 
commonly  produced  fractures  in  the  coal  and  weakened  the  overlying 
limestone.  The  total  result  is  a  roof  condition  generally  above  thin 
coal  that  is  extremely  undesirable,  as  it  is  dangerous  and  costly  to 
provide  for.  No  system  of  distribution  of  the  “white  top”  has  been 
discovered.  It  is  usually  present  to  some  extent  in  any  body  of  coal 
large  enough  to  be  worked,  and  mines  have  been  worked  until  the  poor 
roof  conditions  exist  in  half  or  more  of  the  workings.  Profitable  min¬ 
ing  is  impossible,  however,  under  these  conditions. 

It  is  apparent  that  commercial  exploitation  of  No.  6  coal  in  this 
region  is  not  to  be  considered  while  No.  5  coal  is  present  in  large  blocks 
suitable  for  mining.  It  is  possible  that  some  system  more  suitable  for 
operating  the  No.  6  coal  than  the  room-and-pillar  method  can  be  em¬ 
ployed,  designed  to  meet  the  uncertainties  that  exist,  and  it  is  possible 
also  that  careful  investigation  of  white  top  in  the  region  may  reveal 
some  system  of  distribution  the  discovery  of  which  will  assist  in  devis¬ 
ing  a  suitable  method  for  the  extraction  of  the  good  coal.  At  present 
no  block  of  this  coal  should  be  considered  for  development  without 
intensive  drilling  to  determine  the  roof  conditions  and  the  thickness  of 
the  coal. 

No.  6  coal  is  characteristically  divided  into  beds  or  benches  wher¬ 
ever  it  occurs  in  the  State.  Partings  and  seams  of  clay,  mother  coal, 
or  pyrite  are  generally  present  and  in  this  county  apparently  always 
present  to  subdivide  the  bed  into  benches.  Udden  describes  the  bed  as 
subdivided  into  only  two  benches  by  the  clay  seam  or  “blue  band,”  a 
seam  of  clay  or  shale  Yi  to  3  inches  thick,  found  12  to  14  inches  from 
the  bottom  and  33  to  46  inches  from  the  top  of  the  coal.  Where  the 
white  top  is  present  more  or  less  of  the  upper  bench  is  absent,  so  that 
the  thickness  of  this  bench  varies  considerably.  As  a  general  thing  it 
is  believed  that  the  bottom  bench  is  undisturbed.  Observations  in 
various  local  mines  indicate  that  bedded  impurities  other  than  the  clay 
or  blue  band  are  very  persistent  at  least  locally.  A  rather  continuous 
band  of  “sulphur”  of  clay  lies  in  the  lower  bench  generally  in  the  upper 
half.  It  is  not  always  possible  to  identify  blue  band  with  certainty 


184 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


where  both  of  these  bands  are  present,  as  they  are  commonly  quite 
similar.  The  upper  bench,  above  the  blue  band,  commonly  contains 
several  thin  partings.  One,  12  to  18  inches  from  the  top,  seems  to  be 
fairly  persistent  in  the  mines  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  others 
are  of  local  distribution,  not  being  persistent  even  throughout  the  work¬ 
ings  of  a  single  small  mine.  The  total  effect  of  these  various  impurities 
is  to  make  the  coal  as  produced  rather  dirty,  although  the  individual 
benches  between  the  partings  are  clean  coal.  The  task  of  mining  clean 
coal  by  carefully  separating  the  dirt  from  the  coal  in  the  mine  is  rather 
exacting  upon  the  miner  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  it  can  generally  be 
effectively  accomplished.  Mechanical  separation  by  washing  or  other 
means  would  probably  produce  much  cleaner  coal  than  the  usual  mine- 
run  output. 

The  occurrence  of  pyrite  (“sulphur”)  in  bands  and  thin  lenses  is 
characteristic  of  No.  6  coal  nearly  everywhere  in  the  State  except  in 
the  area  of  low-sulphur  coal  in  southern  Illinois.  This  sheet  or  plate 
pyrite  is  commonly  of  either  a  bright  or  a  stony  dull  variety,  compact 
and  structureless.  As  its  separation  from  the  coal  is  comparatively 
easy,  this  coal  is  more  readily  cleaned  of  its  sulphur  than  other  beds 
in  which  lenticular  laminated  gray  or  brown  pyrite  is  found.  The  fact 
that  the  pyrite  commonly  occurs  in  the  partings  makes  it  all  the  more 
readily  extracted  at  the  face. 

Observations  in  a  few  of  the  local  banks  indicate  that  this  coal 
like  No.  5  is  cut  by  clay  veins  or  horsebacks.  They  are  not  so  common, 
however,  as  to  be  typical  of  the  bed,  and  do  not  represent  a  serious 
impurity  in  the  coal  as  is  commonly  the  case  in  No.  5. 

The  floor  of  this  coal  is  fire  clay,  with  no  peculiar  characteristics 
so  far  as  is  known. 


MINE  NOTES,  NO.  6  COAL 

The  following  observations  were  made  in  a  few  mines  in  the 
county  operating  No.  6  coal.  Some  have  since  been  abandoned  and 
all  were  local  operations  at  the  time  the  observations  were  made. 

BERRY  BROTHERS’  WAGON  MINE,  NEAR  BRIMFIELD 
IN  THE  SW.  14,  NW.  %,  SEC.  5,  T.  10  N.,  R.  6  E. 

Entrance:  Shaft;  depth  to  No.  6  coal  about  35  feet. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  2  feet  to  4  feet  9  inches;  averages 
3  feet  3  inches. 


Section  of  the  coal: 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


185 


Section  of  No.  6  coal,  Berry  Brothers'  mine ,  near  Brimfield  . 

Thickness 

Ft.  in. 


Coal  (top  coal)  .  1  6 

Pyrite  .  Vz 

Coal  .  1 

Clay  band  (“blue  band”)  .  2 

Coal  .  1 

Pyrite  .  Vz 

Coal  .  1 

“4  9 


The  best  coal  in  the  above  section  is  the  upper  30  inches.  The  two 
bands  of  pyrite  noted  are  persistent  throughout  the  workings. 

Character  of  the  coal :  The  general  succession  is  indicated  by  the 
above  generalized  section.  Clay  slips  or  “horsebacks”  are  common  and 
there  is  considerable  “white  top”  present.  The  coal  dips  to  the  northeast 
about  1  per  cent,  and  one  small  fault  with  2V>  feet  displacement  was  noted. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  normal  roof  is  gray  to  black  shale  which 
falls  with  the  coal,  with  a  limestone  cap-rock  above.  The  small  fossil 
Girtyina  was  identified  in  fragments  of  this  rock,  which  establishes  the 
identity  of  the  coal. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  floor  is  described  as  fire  clay.  No  un¬ 
usual  characteristics  were  noted. 

TAYLOR  AND  SONS’  WAGON  MINE  AT  PRINCEVILLE, 

NW.  NW.  (4,  SEC.  24,  T.  11  N.,  R.  6  E. 

Entrance:  Shaft;  depth  to  No.  6  coal  about  75  feet. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  2  feet  to  5  feet  2  inches;  averages 
4  feet  8  inches. 

Sections  of  the  coal: 

Section  of  No.  6  coal  in  Taylor  and  Sons'  local  mine  at  Princeville 


1st  room  off  1st  west  entry,  500  feet  from  shaft  Thickness 

Ft.  in. 

1.  Coal  .  2Vz 

2.  Parting  . 

3.  Coal  . . .  10 

4.  Clay  parting  .  Vs 

5.  Coal  .  y* 

6.  Clay  .  Vs 

7.  Coal  .  10 

8.  Pyrite  .  V4 

9.  Coal  .  4  V2 

10.  Clay  .  % 

11.  Coal  .  6% 

12.  Clay  (“blue  band,”  called  clay  band) .  2(4 

13.  Pyrite  .  Vz 

14.  Coal  . . .  7 

15.  Clay  (called  “blue  band”)  .  Vz 

16.  Coal  .  6 

17.  Pyrite  .  Vz 

18.  Coal  .  7 

10% 


4 


186 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Character  of  the  coal:  Of  the  partings  noted  in  the  preceding  sec¬ 
tion  of  the  coal,  numbers  4,  8,  12,  15  and  17  are  persistent.  As  the  section 
indicates,  the  coal  is  rather  dirty  because  of  the  numerous  bands  of  im¬ 
purity.  The  coal  between  the  bands,  however,  is  clean. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  immediate  roof  is  a  black  to  gray  car¬ 
bonaceous  shale  spoken  of  as  “ramble.”  This  is  about  6  inches  thick 
and  above  it  is  the  limestone  cap-rock.  The  shale  falls  with  the  with¬ 
drawal  of  the  coal,  leaving  a  firm  hard  limestone  roof.  No  record  is  made 
of  the  presence  of  “white  top”  in  this  mine. 

Character  of  the  floor:  An  impure  coal  composed  of  a  mixture  of 
mother  coal  and  shale  commonly  is  present  in  the  bottom  of  the  bed  to  a 
thickness  of  6  inches  or  less.  Below  this  material  fire  clay  is  reported 
to  be  present. 


WAGON  MINE,  LOCATED  BETWEEN  GLASFORD  AND  HANNA, 
SW.  y±  SE.  %  NE.  %,  SEC.  34,  T.  8  N.,  R.  6  E. 

Entrance:  Drift;  No.  6  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Average  3  feet  10  inches. 

Section  of  coal: 


Section  of  coal  in  local  mine,  north  of  Glasford 


Limestone  with  many  Girtyina . 3  feet  to 

Shale,  gray . 4  inches  to 

Coal  . 

Blue  band . l1/^  to  3  inches,  average 

Coal  . 

Pyrite  lenses  . up  to 

Coal  . 

Clay  band . V\  inch  to 

Coal  . 

Fire  clay  . 


Thickness 
Ft •  in. 
4 

8 

2 

1 

3 

3 

5 

% 

9V2 


NO.  5  COAL 


3  10 


No.  5  coal  is  the  most  valuable  bed  in  the  county.  Its  desirability 
rests  upon  its  fairly  widespread  occurrence,  its  uniform  thickness,  the 
satisfactory  mining  conditions  under  which  much  of  it  can  be  worked, 
and  the  absence  of  impurities  that  can  not  be  removed  by  careful  min¬ 
ing.  In  places,  however,  conditions  exist  that  render  the  cost  of  mining 
prohibitive  of  profit,  or  that  affect  the  quality  of  the  coal  in  such  a  way 
as  to  render  it  unmarketable.  These  conditions  are  local,  however, 
being  far  from  common  enough  to  condemn  the  whole  body  of  coal. 

Conditions  which  affect  the  distribution  of  the  coal  have  already 
been  described  at  some  length  earlier  in  this  bulletin,  in  the  discussion 
of  the  strata  between  No.  5  and  No.  7  coals.  The  attention  of  the 
reader  who  is  especially  interested  in  the  irregularities  in  the  distribu- 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


187 


tion  of  the  coal  is  therefore  directed  to  the  discussion  on  pages  161 
to  163,  and  165  to  175.  It  may  be  repeated  here  that  uncertain¬ 
ties  with  respect  to  the  distribution  of  the  coal  that  are  of  significance 
in  the  development  of  new  properties  are  of  two  sorts.  One  results 
from  the  lack  of  definite  information  with  regard  to  the  position  and 
depth  of  lines  of  pre-glacial  drainage,  and  the  other  from  the  undeter¬ 
mined  extent  and  distribution  of  certain  bodies  of  sandstone,  which 
have  been  termed  channel  sandstones,  and  which  lie  across  the  position 
of  No.  5  coal. 

Udden  states  that  the  average  thickness  of  No.  5  coal  is  4  feet 
4  inches  for  the  Peoria  quadrangle.  This  is  probably  a  fairly  accurate 
estimate  for  the  entire  county,  although  no  figures  are  available  con¬ 
cerning  the  thickness  of  this  coal  in  the  northern  part  where  No.  6 
rather  than  No.  5  coal  is  being  mined  at  local  banks.  The  coal  shows 
a  variation  in  thickness  of  not  over  5  to  6  inches  in  each  area  where 
it  is  worked.  In  the  places  where  it  departs  from  the  usual  thickness, 
the  bed  more  commonly  tends  to  be  thinner  rather  than  thicker  than 
the  average.  The  more  common  variations  in  thickness,  however,  are 
apparent  rather  than  real,  being  due  to  small  faults  accompanied  by  a 
slight  displacement  at  the  position  of  the  clay  slips  or  horsebacks. 
When  the  plane  of  movement  is  inclined,  the  result  is  to  produce  an 
apparent  thinning  of  the  bed  when  measured  vertically  across  the  fault 
plane  (fig.  23).  Such  slight  displacements  at  horsebacks  are  the  most 
frequent  cause  of  variations  in  thickness  of  the  No.  5  coal. 

The  irregularities  in  No.  5  coal  that  are  the  most  continual  source 
of  difficulty  and  expense  are  the  horsebacks,  both  clay  slips  and 
“sulphur  spars/’  The  number  of  these  differs  considerably  in  different 
parts  of  the  county,  some  mines  encountering  them  in  great  numbers, 
whereas  other  mines  find  so  few  that  they  are  of  little  consequence. 
The  mines  in  Hollis  and  Limestone  townships,  except  those  west  of 
Mapleton,  seem  to  be  more  troubled  by  the  horsebacks  than  those 
farther  west  at  Glasford,  Hanna,  and  Edwards. 

The  Peoria  County  horsebacks  are  similar  to  those  described  in 
Fulton  County  and  to  those  that  occur  elsewhere  in  this  district.  At 
least  for  a  short  distance  above  the  coal  the  coal  bed  and  overlying 
strata  have  been  fractured  and  in  some  instances  offset  along  the 
fracture.  The  planes  of  fracture  are  generally  nearly  vertical  and 
rarely  if  ever  inclined  more  than  45  degrees.  Opposite  sides  of  the 
fractures,  along  which  there  has  been  no  movement  to  offset  the  bed, 
are  roughly  parallel.  The  fractures  themselves  have  been  filled  with 
clay,  which  apparently  has  been  forced  into  them,  or  with  vein  pyrite 


188 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


where  they  are  very  narrow.  The  upper  layers  of  the  coal  next  to  the 
fractures  that  are  clay  filled  have  commonly  been  forced  downward, 
and  fragments  of  roof  shale  are  found  in  the  fissures  below  the  top  of 
the  coal,  indicating  that  the  clay  has  been  forced  in  from  above.  This 
relationship  possibly  does  not  always  hold  and  possibly  is  of  no  great 
significance,  for  whether  the  clay  originated  below  or  above  the  coal  it 
obviously  is  forced  into  the  fissures  in  the  coal  as  an  adjustment  of 
inequalities  in  pressure  which  probably  are  responsible  for  the  frac¬ 
turing. 


Fig.  23. — Diagrammatic  sketch  showing  the  manner  in  which  faulting  along 
a  horseback  will  effect  an  apparent  thinning  of  the  coal  bed. 


Where  these  horsebacks  are  present,  production  of  clean  coal  and 
the  support  of  the  roof  near  the  fractures  are  difficult.  The  first  diffi¬ 
culty  is  met  by  discarding  all  the  coal  affected  by  the  horseback.  The 
clay  veins  are  generally  rather  heavily  impregnated  with  pyrite  which 
also  fills  many  of  the  smaller  cracks  in  the  coal  adjacent  to  the  main 
fissure,  so  that  the  horseback  and  some  attached  coal  on  either  side  is 
usually  removed  in  large  pieces.  The  expense  of  removing  the  horse- 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


189 


backs  is  indicated  by  the  following  agreement  between  the  operators 
and  miners  of  the  Second  Sub-District,  dated  April  1,  1918: 

“Eighteen — That  all  horsebacks,  rolls,  or  slips,  marking  the  coal  two 
to  six  inches  average  width  in  the  center  of  such  horseback,  roll,  or  slip, 
whether  coming  from  top  or  bottom,  shall  be  $2.80,  and  23  cents  for  each 
additional  inch  thereafter. 

“When  a  slip,  roll,  or  horseback  continues  with  the  working  place  more 
than  the  width  of  such  working  place,  it  shall  be  paid  for  at  the  same  rate, 
as  long  as  it  continues  with  the  said  working  place. ” 

The  coal  removed  and  wasted  by  this  method  of  handling  the 
horsebacks  amounts  to  a  very  considerable  proportion  of  the  coal  mined 
in  some  operations. 

The  second  difficulty  noted  above,  that  of  supporting  the  roof 
near  horsebacks,  is  a  very  serious  one.  If  the  cracks  are  numerous  and 
rather  wide,  so  that  the  cohesion  of  the  cap-rock  is  weakened,  the  strata 
are  almost  impossible  to  hold.  Horsebacks  that  run  with  an  entry  not 


Cross  cut 


Fig.  24. — Sketch  showing  the  cracks  cutting  the  roof  along  the  6th  south¬ 
east  entry  of  the  Leitner  Coal  Company’s  mine. 


uncommonly  cause  ‘Tails”  their  entire  length  of  many  feet.  Such  con¬ 
ditions  of  course  make  the  expense  of  mining  very  high.  There  is 
apparently  no  systematic  attempt  in  any  of  the  mines  to  remedy  the 
conditions.  They  are  met  as  they  arise  and  the  success  or  failure  of 
a  mining  enterprise  depends  largely  upon  the  company’s  fortune  in 
striking  a  good  or  bad  piece  of  coal.  Unfortunately  drilling  does  not 
assist  much  in  determining  the  frequency  of  the  horsebacks.  The  pros¬ 
pector  for  new  resources  is  dependent  upon  information  gained  at  out¬ 
crops,  in  local  banks,  and  in  mines  adjacent  to  the  property  under 
consideration. 

The  accompanying  sketch  (fig.  24)  of  the  cracks  cutting  the  roof 
along  one  entry  of  the  Leitner  Coal  Company’s  mine  will  give  some 
idea  of  the  frequency  of  the  horsebacks  in  some  mines  in  the  region. 

The  “sulphur  spars”  are  nearly  as  expensive  and  possibly  more 
troublesome  to  handle  than  the  clay  veins.  The  pyrite  is  true  vein 
filling  which  not  only  occupies  the  space  opened  by  the  fissure  but 


190 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


ramifies  the  adjacent  coal  along  small  cracks  and  cleavage  planes.  The 
result  is  a  mass  of  hard  coal  commonly  extending  as  much  as  four 
inches  either  side  of  the  main  vein.  This  material  is  exceedingly  hard 
to  cut  and  is  more  objectionable  to  the  miner  than  the  clay  veins,  al¬ 
though  the  latter  are  larger. 

“Sulphur”  or  pyrite  other  than  that  found  in  the  sulphur  spars  is 
an  impurity  of  varying  importance.  In  some  mines  it  is  very  common 
and  its  removal  a  matter  of  considerable  difficulty.  In  other  mines  it  is 
of  small  consequence.  In  general  the  sulphur  is  more  common  in  those 
mines  in  which  the  coal  bed  is  crossed  by  numerous  horsebacks.  The 
pyrite  is  principally  of  two  kinds :  the  bright  brassy  variety  commonly 
found  near  the  roof  or  in  the  upper  part  of  the  coal ;  and  the  brown 
or  gray  pyrite  lenses.  The  former  is  present  in  about  the  same  amount 
in  all  the  mines  irrespective  of  the  number  of  horsebacks  present;  the 
latter  is  distributed  in  greater  abundance  near  horsebacks,  and  espe¬ 
cially  near  the  clay  veins.  The  gray  or  brown  sulphur  occurs  as 
lenticular  masses  with  indistinct  outline  and  grayish  color,  and  ap¬ 
parently  consists  of  interlaminated  pyrite  and  carbonaceous  material. 
Many  of  the  gray  pyrite  lenses  widen  out  toward  a  contiguous  clay 
vein,  attaining  their  greatest  size  at  the  contact.  The  lenses  are  not 
uncommonly  4  inches  thick  at  the  thickest  part  and  extend  laterally  as 
much  as  3  or  4  feet.  This  material  is  supposed  to  be  rejected  by  the 
miner,  a  docking  system  being  in  force  to  encourage  the  loading  of 
clean  coal.  The  laminated  pyrite  seems  to  have  an  origin  dependent 
in  some  manner  upon  the  fissuring  and  therefore  constitutes  additional 
difficulty  with  which  the  mines  having  numerous  horsebacks  must 
contend.  In  themselves,  however,  they  are  not  a  very  serious  impurity, 
and  do  not  greatly  affect  the  value  of  the  coal. 

Some  of  the  mines,  in  addition  to  the  varieties  of  pyrite  already 
described,  have  a  streak  or  thin  lens  of  pyrite  from  one-eighth  to  one 
inch  thick  and  about  half  an  inch  above  the  bottom  of  the  coal.  This 
sulphur  comes  up  with  the  bottom  coal  and  is  then  broken  off,  together 
with  more  or  less  attached  coal.  Not  uncommonly,  likewise,  the  lens 
or  mass  of  limestone  lying  between  the  coal  and  the  “slate”  and  carry¬ 
ing  many  fossils  is  generally  replaced  to  considerable  extent  by  pyrite 
so  that  the  fossils  and  texture  of  the  rock  are  preserved  in  pyrite  rather 
than  limestone.  The  “niggerheads”  in  the  black  “slate”  are  also  pyrit- 
ized,  though  commonly  only  in  a  zone  at  the  surface.  In  some  of  the 
mines  south  of  Peoria  a  discontinuous  layer  of  “brown”  pyrite  is  pres¬ 
ent  about  midway  in  the  bed. 

The  typical  roof  of  No.  5  coal  in  this  county  as  elsewhere  is  a 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


191 


succession  of  black  “slate”  about  1  foot  thick,  above  which  is  about 
12  inches  of  gray  clay  or  clod,  and  8  to  12  inches  of  cap-rock.  The 
thickness  of  the  cap-rock  may  vary  considerably  from  this  figure,  but 
as  it  usually  stays  up,  its  general  thickness  is  not  accurately  deter¬ 
minable.  Except  where  broken  by  fissures  the  roof  is  very  satisfactory. 

Over  part  of  the  coal  is  a  massive,  substantial  sandstone  roof. 
This  roof  is  most  commonly  found  near  the  “faults”  or  channel  de¬ 
posits  that  have  been  described.  The  coal  is  not  essentially  different 
under  the  sandstone  from  what  it  is  under  the  shale.  Under  each 
variety  of  cover  it  has  the  usual  horsebacks  and  other  irregularities, 
the  fissures  continuing  up  into  the  roof  whether  it  be  sandstone  or  shale. 

The  floor  is  a  fire  clay  of  the  usual  character  and  gives  no  special 
difficulties. 

MINE  NOTES,  NO.  5  COAL 

The  following  observations  are  presented  with  the  idea  that  they 
will  throw  light  on  conditions  in  local  areas  in  the  field. 

LOGAN  COAL  COMPANY’S  NO.  1  MINE  AT  HANNA  CITY 

Entrance:  Shaft;  about  236  feet  to  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness:  About  3  feet  4  inches. 

Sections  of  the  coal:* 


Sections  of 

coal  bed 

in  Hanna  City  mine 

Section 

A 

B 

C 

D 

Laboratory  No. 

22982 

22983 

22984 

22985 

Ft.  in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Ft.  in. 

Ft. 

in. 

Roof,  shale  21/£  feet . 

•  • 

•  • 

•  •  •  • 

•  • 

#  m 

Coal,  bony . 

6* 

•  • 

•  • 

•  •  •  • 

•  • 

6* 

Coal,  bright  . 

1  6 

1 

0 

3  3 

1 

0 

“Sulphur”  to  “mother 

coal”  . 

Streak 

•  • 

%* 

•  •  •  • 

Streak 

Coal,  hard . 

1  4 

2 

3% 

•  •  •  • 

1 

10 

Floor,  underclay . 

•  •  i 

•  • 

•  • 

•  •  •  • 

•  • 

•  • 

Thickness  of  bed . 

3  4 

3 

4 

3  3 

3 

4 

Thickness  of  coal  sampled 

2  10 

3 

3% 

3  3 

2 

10 

*Not  included  in  sample. 

Character  of  the  roof 

and  floor 

:  Roof 

is  a 

hard  gray 

shale 

about 

2  feet  6  inches  thick;  the  floor  is  underclay  3  to  5 

feet  thick. 

Samples  were  collected  at  the  places  where  the  sections  were  made 
and  analyzed  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,2  and  the  results  are  reprinted 
as  a  part  of  Table  3  of  this  report. 


CLARK  COAL  AND  COKE  COMPANY’S  EMPIRE  (NO.  2)  MINE  AT  PEORIA 
Entrance:  Shaft;  depth  to  No.  5  coal,  180  feet. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  3  to  4^  feet;  average  4  feet. 
Sections  of  the  coal: 

iU.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  Bull.  123,  p.  179. 

2U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  Bull.  123,  p.  35. 


192 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Empire  Mine 

Sections  of  No.  5  coal  in  the  Clark  Coal  and  Coke  Company's 

Section  1 — First  butt  entry  off  11th  east  entry  Thickness 

Ft.  in. 


Coal  .... 
Soot  seam 
Coal  .... 
Soot  seam 
Coal  .... 


7% 


1 


•  • 

11% 

10 

8% 


4  i  y2 

Section  2 — Face  13th  entry  off  main  south  entry 

Thickness 
Ft-  in 

Roof:  Black  shale  . 

Coal,  clean  .  11 

Mother  coal  parting  .  Vs 

Coal,  clean  .  3 

Mother  coal  . .  Vs 

Coal,  fairly  clean  .  2  % 

Floor:  Fire  clay . 

~ 3  3 


Impurities :  Pyrite  in  vertical  streaks  and  a  few  horizontal  streaks 
of  mother  coal. 

Section  3 — Roo7n  3,  7th  south  entry  off  11th  west  off  straight  south 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Black  shale  . 

Coal,  fairly  clean  . 

Bone  . 

Coal,  clean  . 

Bone  . 

Coal,  clean  . 

Floor:  Shell  coal  and  fire  clay 


•  •  •  • 

3  5 

% 

1% 

% 

5% 


4  1 


Impurities:  Bone  and  mother  coal  in  horizontal  streaks;  calcite  in 
vertical  streaks. 

Section  U — Face,  3d  north  entry  off  1st  west  off  straight  south 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Black  shale  . 

Coal,  clean,  bright  .  1  1% 

Mother  coal  .  % 

Coal,  fairly  clean,  slightlv  streaked .  HV2 

“Sulphur”  .  % 

Coal,  fairly  clean  .  1  V2 

Bone,  lens .  V2 

Coal,  fairly  clean  .  11 

Floor:  Fire  clay  . 


4 


2 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


193 


Impurities:  Calcite  in  joint  cracks;  pyrite  in  vertical  streaks;  mother 
coal  and  pyrite  in  horizontal  streaks. 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  is  described  by  the  observer  who 
measured  section  No.  1  as  tough,  hard  to  break,  and  uniform  in  quality 
throughout  with  no  definite  line  of  impurity.  Occasional  sulphur  balls 
and  the  clay  slips  characteristic  of  No.  5  are  present,  but  not  common. 

Character  of  the  roof:  Above  the  coal  is  2  inches  of  “draw  slate” 
followed  by  1  to  2  feet  of  dark  “slate,”  in  places  containing  a  limestone 
band  or  cap-rock  up  to  18  inches  in  thickness.  Sandstone  overlies  the 
black  shale  and  where  the  shale  is  thin  it  always  falls.  Niggerheads 
are  common  in  the  roof  shale. 


CRESCENT  COAL  COMPANY’S  NO.  1  MINE  ABOUT  3  MILES  NORTH 

OF  BARTONVILLE 

Entrance:  Shaft;  195  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Average  thickness  4  feet  2  inches.1 
Sections  of  the  coal: 

Sections  of  No.  5  coal  in  the  mine  of  the  Crescent  Coal  Company 
Section  1 — Face  of  the  5th  southeast  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Black  shale  . 

Coal,  fairly  clean  .  10 

Mother  coal  and  dirt .  !4 

Coal,  dirty  .  3  6 


Floor:  Dark  gray  shale 


4  4*4 

Impurities:  Coal  contains  pyrite,  mother  coal  and  dirt  in  horizontal 
streaks  with  calcite  in  the  joint  cracks. 


Section  2 — Face  off  room  22,  off  6th  north  entry 


Roof:  Black  shale  .... 

Coal,  fairly  clean  . 

Pyrite  parting . 

Coal,  fairly  clean  . 

Mother  coal,  soft  . 

Coal,  dirty  . 

Floor:  Dark  gray  shale 


Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


1 

1 

1 


10% 

% 

2 

% 


4  1 


iThirty-sixth  Annual  Coal  Report  of  Illinois:  Department  of  Mines  and 
Minerals,  1917,  p.  84. 


194 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Section  3 — Face  of  10th  south,  off  west  entry 


Roof:  Black  shale  .  . .  . 

Coal,  clean  . 

Mother  coal  . 

Coal,  dirty,  dull  . 

Mother  coal  . 

Coal,  dirty,  dull  . 

Mother  coal  . 

Coal,  fairly  clean  . 

Floor:  Dark  gray  shale 


Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

•  •  •  • 

ioy2 

y8 

1  2 

. .  % 
1  2 

% 

2  1 


4  2 


Impurities:  Pyrite,  mother  coal  and  dirt  in  horizontal  streaks;  pyrite 
in  vertical  streaks. 


COLLIER  CO-OPERATIVE  COAL  COMPANY’S  NO.  1  MINE,  AT  BARTONVILLE 
Entrance:  Slope;  110  feet  to  floor  of  mine. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  4  to  4 14  feet;  averages  4  feet  3 
inches. 

Sections  of  the  coal : 

Sections  of  A ro.  5  coal  in  mine  of  Collier  Co-operative  Coal  Company 
Section  1 — Room  45  off  10th  entry  off  main  north; 

3,300  feet  southeast  of  shaft  Thickness 

Ft.  in. 

Roof:  Black  shale  .  18 

Coal,  clean  .  4  1 

Floor:  Fire  clay . .  1  8 

~7  3 

Section  2 1 — At  face  of  6th  north  entry  off  main  west  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof :  Dark  shale  . 

Coal,  conchoidal  fracture  .  5 

Coal,  rough  fracture  .  3  7 

Coal  and  “sulphur”  .  1* 

Floor:  Brittle  clay . 

^4  T 


Section  31 — At  face  of  room  1 ,  4th  north  entry  in  by  3d  north  parting 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Dark  shale . 

Coal,  conchoidal  fracture  .  7 

Coal,  rough  fracture  .  1  1 

Coal  and  “sulphur”  .  14* 

Coal  .  2  6% 

Floor:  Brittle  clay . 


•Not  included  in  sample. 


lSee  footnote  1,  page  195  opposite. 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


195 


Section  4 3 — At  face  of  nth  north  entry  off  main  west  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Dark  shale . 

Coal,  conchoidal  fracture  .  6 

Coal,  rough  fracture  .  3  7 

Coal  and  “sulphur”  .  V2 

Floor:  Brittle  clay . 


4  IV2 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  bed  is  reported  to  be  fairly  uniform  with 
few  horsebacks  and  no  rolls  or  faults. 

Character  of  the  roof  and  floor:  The  roof  is  dark  shale  about  10 
feet  thick,  above  which  is  a  limestone  cap-rock,  having  an  irregular  sur¬ 
face.  The  floor  is  a  brittle  underclay. 

The  analyses  are  of  samples  collected  where  the  sections  Nos.  2,  3, 
and  4  were  measured  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines.2 

M.  E.  CASE  COAL  COMPANY’S  NO.  1  (WALBEN)  MINE,  SOUTH  OF  PEORIA 

Entrance:  Drift;  about  16  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Averages  4  feet  7  inches.  The  coal  thickens 
greatly  near  the  sandstone  “fault,”  but  elsewhere  its  thickness  is  very 
uniform. 

Sections  of  the  coal: 

Sections  of  No.  5  coal  in  Walben  mine  of  the  M.  E.  Case  Coal  Company 
Section  1 — Room  1+3,  7th  south  off  6th  west 

Thickness 
Ft.  in 


Roof:  Sandstone  . 

Coal  .  1  8% 

Clay  and  pyrite .  V2 

Coal  .  &V2 

Clay  and  pyrite  interlaminated  .  XA 

Coal  .  2 

Floor:  Firs  clay . 


4  4 

Thickness 
Ft.  in 


1  9 

% 

2  V2 


3  10 

lFieldner,  A.  C.,  Smith,  H.  I.,  et  al,  Analyses  of  mine  and  car  samples 
of  coal  collected  in  the  fiscal  years  1913  to  1916:  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  Bull. 
123,  pp.  178,  179,  1918. 

2U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  Bull.  123,  p.  35. 


Section  2 — End  of  7th  south  off  6th  west 

Roof:  Black  slate  . 

Coal  . 

Pyrite  and  clay  intimately  laminated  . 

Coal  with  some  streaks  of  clayey  mother  coal  . 


196 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Character  of  the  coal :  The  coal  is  uniform  in  its  general  character¬ 
istics.  The  bed  commonly  carries  a  layer  of  intimately  interlaminated 
pyrite  and  carbonaceous  clay  known  as  brown  “sulphur”  about  2  feet 
below  the  top,  but  this  impurity  is  not  persistent.  Horsebacks  are  common 
and  are  of  some  special  interest  because  the  breaks  generally  continue 
up  into  the  sandstone  which  lies  upon  or  a  short  distance  above  the  coal. 
In  the  3d  west  entry  off  the  4th  south,  the  sandstone  at  one  place  showed 
an  open  crevice  above  a  horseback  out  of  which  the  gage  has  fallen  for 
a  height  of  15  to  20  feet.  Clay  shale  shows  in  the  top  of  the  crack.  It 
was  not  clear  whether  the  clay  was  a  continuation  of  the  filling  or  a  shale 
bed  above  the  sandstone.  The  crack  looked  like  a  crack  that  had  been 
produced  or  at  least  widened  by  weathering,  the  sides  being  rounded, 
or  smoothed  rather  than  clean  and  sharp.  There  was  essentially  no  offset 
of  any  of  the  beds. 

Below  the  horseback  the  clay  floor  is  commonly  raised  in  a  ridge 
suggesting  that  probably  there  was  some  movement  of  the  floor  clay  into 
the  crack  when  it  opened.  The  character  of  the  lower  clay  is  quite  dif- 


Fig.  25. — Sketch  of  the  contact  of  coal  and  “fault”  in  the  6th  west  off  main 
north  entry  of  the  M.  E.  Case  Coal  Company's  No.  1  (Walben)  mine 


ferent  from  that  filling  the  larger  part  of  the  fissure,  this  material  appar¬ 
ently  coming  from  some  strata  above  the  coal.  These  rolls  in  the  floor 
clay  are  taken  up  by  the  miner,  for  which  extra  pay  is  given. 

The  operation  of  this  mine  is  limited  on  the  west  by  a  sandstone  “fault” 
which  cuts  out  the  coal  (fig.  22).  The  sandstone  apparently  occupies  a 
channel  which  penetrates  the  coal  bed.  The  rock  is  a  gray  micaceous 
sandstone  of  about  the  same  character  as  that  forming  the  roof  of  much 
of  the  mine.  At  some  places  the  coal  feathers  out  under  the  sandstone 
and  at  others  it  terminates  very  abruptly  against  the  sandstone.  The 
nature  of  the  contact  at  one  place  along  the  “fault”  is  shown  by  the 
accompanying  sketch  (fig.  25). 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  immediate  roof  varies  from  the  usual 
succession  of  black  “slate,”  clod  and  cap-rock  to  merely  sandstone.  The 
sandstone  apparently  lies  irregularly  upon  the  underlying  strata,  in  places 
resting  directly  upon  the  coal  and  in  other  places  separated  from  the  coal 
by  a  greater  or  less  thickness  of  the  typical  roof. 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


197 


Character  of  the  floor:  The  underclay,  about  18  inches  thick,  is 
underlain  by  an  “iron  band”  10  inches  thick.  The  clay  heaves  somewhat 
in  wet  places,  and  the  clay  tends  to  “roll”  up  in  the  floor  beneath  the 
horseback  fissures,  rising  nearly  12  inches  in  some  cases. 


LEITNER  COAL  COMPANY’S  NO.  1  MINE,  NORTHEAST  OF  ORCHARD  MINES 
Entrance:  Drift  mine;  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  about  4  feet  to  6  feet;  averages  4 % 
feet.  The  coal  thickens  markedly  near  its  contact  with  the  sandstone 
“fault”  (fig.  15)  ;  elsewhere  it  is  practically  uniform  in  thickness. 

Sections  of  the  coal: 

Sections  of  No.  5  coal  in  the  Leitner  Coal  Company's  mine 

Section  1 — 6th  south  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof :  Black  slate . 

Coal,  laminated,  and  with  thin  streaks  of  mother  coal .  1  7% 

Pyrite;  mixture  of  clay,  organic  matter  and  pyrite.  Called 

“brown  sulphur”  by  miners .  3 

Coal,  like  top  coal  .  2  10  y> 

Pyrite  or  clay,  hard  .  % 

Coal  .  y2 

Floor:  Fire  clay . 


4  10 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

•  •  •  • 

11% 
2 

1  v2 

2 

2  11 


5  3 

Section  3 — Face  main  west  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

.  1  4 

.  2y> 

.  2  6 


Section  2 — 5th  south  entry. 

Roof:  Black  slate  with  coal  stringers . 

Coal  . 

Pyrite  and  clay . 

Coal  . 

Pyrite  and  clay . 

Coal  . 

Pyrite  streak  in  bottom  . 

Floor:  Fire  clay . 


Coal  . 

Pyrite  and  clay 
Coal  . 


4 


% 


198 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Section  k — Room  12,  back  west  entry 


Roof:  “Slate”  . 

Coal  . 

Pyrite  band  .... 

Coal  . 

Pyrite  and  clay  . 

Coal  . 

Floor:  Fire  clay 


Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

1  1 

iy2 

n% 

2 

2 


4  4 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  bed  contains  a  fairly  continuous  band 
of  “brown  sulphur”  about  18  inches  to  2  feet  from  the  top.  Not  un¬ 
commonly  two  such  bands  are  present. 

The  horsebacks  in  this  mine  are  very  numerous.  The  mine  map  shows 
that  the  “fault”  is  encountered  on  the  west  side,  trending  about  northeast- 
southwest  from  the  S.  W.  cor.  sec.  2,  Hollis  Township  (T.  7  N.,  R.  7  E.). 
The  same  or  another  body  of  sandstone  is  also  present  at  the  usual  horizon 
of  the  coal  in  section  11. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  ordinary  roof  consisting  of  black  shale, 
clod,  and  cap-rock  is  present  except  where  the  sandstone  has  cut  down 
to  the  coal.  The  parting  between  the  coal  and  the  shale  roof  is  poor  and 
commonly  the  lower  4  to  6  inches  of  the  roof  comes  down  with  the  coal. 
It  is  rather  difficult  to  separate  the  shale  from  the  coal,  so  that  the  waste 
material  thrown  into  the  gob  contains  considerable  coal. 


MAPLETON  COAL  COMPANY’S  NO.  1  MINE,  AT  MAPLETON 
Entrance:  Slope;  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Uniform;  varies  between  about  4  feet  4  inches 
and  about  4  feet  10  inches;  averages  4  feet  6  inches. 

Section  of  the  coal : 


Section  of  No.  5  coal  in  the  mine  of  the  Mapleton  Coal  Company 


Measured  in  a  room  off  the  main  ivest  back  entry 


Coal  with  streak  of  pyrite  in  upper  inch 

Coal,  dirty  . 

Coal  . 

Mother  coal  . 

Coal  . 


Thickness 


Ft. 

2 


m. 

6 

tV 

2tt 

% 


4  9 

Character  of  the  coal :  The  coal  is  very  uniform  and  clean.  About 
the  only  impurities  are  a  few  “horsebacks”  and  a  few  discontinuous  clay 
and  mother-coal  bands  tV  of  an  inch  thick  or  less.  Because  of  the  great 
regularity  of  the  coal,  no  special  description  of  the  seam  is  necessary. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  roof  is  constant  in  character.  The  suc¬ 
cession  consists  of  the  usual  black  “slate,”  clod,  and  cap-rock.  The  first 
is  12  to  14  inches  thick,  the  second  14  to  16  inches,  and  the  last  2  to  6 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


199 


inches,  lying  from  24  to  30  inches  above  the  coal.  Above  the  cap-rock  is 
gray  shale.  Although  in  places  the  cap-rock  is  rather  soft  and  shaly, 
generally  it  forms  a  solid  roof.  The  black  shale  or  “slate”  roof  carries  a 
few  niggerheads  lying  in  the  “slate”  and  coal. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  floor  is  fire  clay;  it  heaves  some  where 
damp  and  rolls  up  under  horsebacks. 

EAST  MAPLETON  COAL  COMPANY’S  “EAST”  MINE,  AT  MAPLETON 

Entrance:  Drift;  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  4  feet  6  inches  to  5  feet  8  inches; 
averages  5  feet. 

Character  of  coal :  The  coal  is  very  irregular  due  to  horsebacks  and 
persistent  pyrite  bands.  The  coal  runs  nearly  12  inches  thicker  than  in 
other  mines  and  the  irregularities  in  thickness  are  greater.  The  horse¬ 
backs,  commonly  2  to  3  feet  through,  are  present  almost  constantly  in  the 
face.  The  cracks  running  up  into  the  roof  cut  it  up  like  a  mosaic.  The 
floor  below  is  offset  along  lines  matching  the  cracks  in  the  roof,  giving  a 
relief  of  8  to  12  inches. 

The  sulphur  bands  consist  largely  of  the  “brown”  laminated  pyrite. 
An  almost  continuous  streak,  generally  l^-inch  thick  and  in  places  6  to  9 
inches  lies  about  24  inches  from  the  top.  These  impurities  and  irregu¬ 
larities  make  mining  very  expensive,  as  it  is  probable  that  about  half  the 
material  taken  out  of  the  mine  is  rock  waste. 

The  sandstone  “fault”  of  the  region  is  reported  to  lie  a  short  distance 
north  of  the  present  workings  of  the  mine. 

NEWSAM  BROTHERS’  NO.  4  MINE,  AT  GLASFORD 

Entrance:  Shaft;  148  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Practically  uniform;  varies  from  4  feet  4  inches 
to  4  feet  6  inches. 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  lies  in  a  single  bench  with  few 
irregularities.  Horsebacks  though  present  are  not  especially  numerous. 
Some  pyrite  is  encountered  in  streaks,  balls,  and  lenses.  Pyrite  lenses 
averaging  about  1  inch  thick  by  6  to  7  inches  across  are  especially  common 
near  the  horsebacks.  They  begin  to  appear  6  to  8  feet  back  from  the 
fissure.  Some  of  the  horsebacks  have  a  large  per  cent  of  pyrite  in  them 
and  are  very  hard  to  mine. 

Character  of  the  roof :  The  roof  consists  of  6  to  14  inches  of  black 
“slate,”  6  to  8  inches  of  clod,  and  8  to  10  inches  of  limestone  cap-rock. 
The  parting  between  the  coal  and  black  shale  is  poor,  due  to  the  presence 
of  pyrite  balls  and  lenses  at  this  position.  The  pyrite  tends  to  bind  the 
coal  to  the  “slate”  so  that  either  the  upper  few  inches  of  coal  is  left  in 
the  roof  or  else  the  lower  part  of  the  shale  comes  down  with  the  coal.  In 
the  latter  case  the  shale  with  3  or  4  inches  of  attached  coal  is  usually 
thrown  into  the  gob. 

Character  of  the  floor:  Fire  clay,  which  is  reported  to  heave  when 
wet,  forms  the  floor. 

NO.  2  COAL 

The  coal  which  has  been  reopened  during  the  last  year  in  the  mine 
at  Pottstown,  and  the  coal  formerly  mined  by  the  Third  Vein  Coal 


200 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Company  at  Orchard  Mines,  and  which  is  encountered  in  several  drill 
holes  in  the  county  117  to  140  feet  below  No.  5  coal,  is  believed  to  be 
the  No.  2  bed. 

The  thickness  of  the  coal  averages  about  2 y2  feet,  or  about  two- 
thirds  the  thickness  of  No.  5  in  this  region  and  about  1  foot  thinner 
than  No.  2  coal  in  the  La  Salle  and  Spring  Valley  region.  Here  as 
elsewhere  the  coal  is  apparently  regular  in  thickness,  and  uniform  in 
character  over  large  areas.  Impurities  that  could  seriously  affect  the 
value  of  the  coal  are  lacking.  The  brassy  nodules  of  pyrite  typical  of 
this  coal  are  present,  but  because  their  contact  with  the  coal  is  sharp 
and  clean,  they  can  be  readily  removed  at  the  face.  The  pyrite  im¬ 
pregnates  the  surrounding  coal  little  if  any,  in  contrast  with  the  many 
pyrites  lenses  in  other  coals,  and  it  is  therefore  generally  unnecessary 
to  discard  much  coal  with  the  sulphur  balls. 

Roof  conditions  are  normal  for  No.  2  coal.  The  “soapstone”  or 
gray  shale  and  black  “slate”  found  in  succession  above  the  coal  in  the 
Longwall  District1  seems  to  be  very  widespread.  The  succession  in 
this  field  seems  to  be  the  same  as  that  in  the  northern  district.  The 
gray  shale  or  “soapstone”  is  9  to  12  feet  thick  on  the  average,  which  is 
a  few  feet  thinner  than  at  La  Salle,  and  the  black  “slate”  is  about  2 
feet  thick.  The  “slate”  carries  large  niggerheads  or  limestone 
concretions  as  in  other  regions.  Above  the  black  shale  is  a  limestone 
about  2  feet  in  thickness.  In  places  the  black  shale  comes  down  on  the 
coal  cutting  out  the  soapstone. 

This  coal  is  always  mined  by  the  longwall  system,  and  except  for 
the  fact  that  the  coal  is  thin,  conditions  are  favorable  for  mining. 
There  is  little  question  but  that  eventually  this  bed  will  be  extensively 
mined  in  this  region,  though  probably  not  until  the  best  areas  of  No.  5 
coal  are  exhausted. 

The  chemical  character  of  No.  2  coal  is  discussed  briefly  in  Part  I 
and  an  analysis  of  the  bed  is  included  in  Table  3. 

MINE  NOTES,  NO.  2  COAL 

The  following  notes  are  based  upon  observations  in  two  mines 
operating  in  No.  2  coal.  Of  these  the  Third  Vein  Coal  Company  has 
not  been  in  operation  for  several  years,  the  observations  having  been 
made  in  1908. 

THIRD  VEIN  COAL  COMPANY’S  ABANDONED  MINE  IN  NW.  14  SEC.  14, 

T.  7  N.,  R  7  E. 

Entrance:  Shaft;  162  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  2  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  214  to  314  feet;  averages  about  2 
feet  11  inches. 


llllinois  Coal  Mining  Investigations  Bull.  10,  1915. 


PEORIA  COUNTY 


201 


Section  of  the  coal:  The  coal  was  measured  southwest  of  the  shaft 
in  room  No.  5  off  the  first  straight  south  (?)  entry.  The  coal  was  32  inches 
thick,  with  gray  shale  roof  and  fire-clay  floor. 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  contained  one  sulphur  lens  which  in 
the  face  measured  1  by  6  inches.  Such  lenses  were  reported  to  be  rare 
and  to  occur  at  any  place  in  the  bed.  The  coal  is  described  as  “long  grain. ” 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  shale  or  “soapstone’’  is  a  slabby  dark- 
gray  shale  with  small  lenses  of  light-gray,  sandy  shale  1  inch  thick.  The 
gray  shale  is  generally  8  to  12  feet  thick,  but  is  absent  in  places,  the 
black  “slate”  resting  on  the  coal.  The  “soapstone”  is  slabby,  dark  gray, 
and  contains  small  1-inch  thick  lenses  of  light-gray  sandy  shale.  The  black 
“slate”  above  is  thin,  shelly,  hard,  and  brittle,  with  half-inch  lumps  on  the 
bedding  planes,  and  is  reported  to  be  about  10  feet  thick.  It  contains 
niggerheads  commonly  as  large  as  12  by  6  by  24  inches. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  floor  is  fire  clay  which  is  at  least  6  feet 
thick.  At  one  place  it  has  been  drilled  into  to  a  depth  of  12  feet. 

JOHN  A.  HOFFMAN’S  “BLUE  FLY”  (WANTLING)  MINE,  AT  POTTSTOWN 

Entrance:  Shaft;  107  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  2  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  2  feet  4  inches  to  2  feet  8  inches; 
averages  2  Y2  feet. 

Sections  of  the  coal: 

SECTIONS  OF  NO.  2  COAL  IN  THE  “BLUE  FLY”  MINE,  AT  POTTSTOWN 

Section  1  Thickness 

Ft.  in. 

Roof:  Gray  shale  or  “soapstone”  containing  small  lime  and 

pyrite  concretions,  9  feet  or  more . 

Coal,  clean  .  1 

Pyrite  streak  . 

Coal  . 

Clay  band  . 

Coal  . 

Floor:  Fire  clay . 

2  5 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


2  6 


2  6 

Section  3 — End  of  southwest  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

Roof:  Gray  shale  . 

Goal  .  2  6 

Floor:  Fire  clay . 

2  6 


Section  2 — 50  feet  south  of  shaft 

Roof:  Gray  shale  . 

Coal,  containing  one  sulphur  ball  4  inches  thick . 

Floor:  Fire  clay  . 


9  is 

lV 

3 

y2 

4 


202 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Character  of  the  coal:  The  seam  is  practically  uniform  throughout 
the  mine.  The  few  partings  are  not  persistent,  but  sulphur  lenses  and 
balls  occur  at  various  positions.  Many  seem  to  be  pyritized  parts  of  plants. 
These  average  in  size  about  14  by  8  to  10  inches;  some  are  as  large  aS 
4  by  12  to  14  inches.  The  amount  of  pyrite  present  is  estimated  to  be 
between  1  and  2  per  cent  by  weight  of  the  coal. 

The  coal  is  rather  hard  and  bright.  Some  cleat  is  developed,  the 
fracture  being  north  and  south,  and  at  right  angles.  Vertical  sheets  of  py¬ 
rite  are  present  but  are  not  persistent  in  some  of  the  joint  cracks. 

Character  of  the  roof :  The  roof  rock  is  typical  “soapstone”  about  9 
feet  thick.  Above  this  is  2  feet  of  black  “slate”  which  is  capped  in  turn 
by  a  2-foot  limestone. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  floor  clay  is  a  gray,  even-textured  clay 
which  is  reported  to  be  3  to  4  feet  thick.  Its  character  is  not  well  known. 
It  probably  will  heave  if  wet. 

NO.  1  COAL 

No.  1  coal  has  been  worked  in  the  mine  at  Pottstown  at  a  depth  of 
240  feet,  133  feet  below  No.  2  coal.  Udden1  states  that  the  lower  bed 
consists  of  a  lower  bench  varying  in  thicknes  from  2  feet  2  inches  to 
3  feet,  a  parting  of  shale  less  than  3  feet  thick,  and  an  upper  bench, 
1  foot  2  inches  to  1  foot  4  inches  thick.  Where  the  parting  between 
the  two  benches  was  not  too  heavy,  both  were  mined.  The  coal  is  of 
fairly  good  quality,  but  the  mining  was  too  expensive  for  the  market 
at  the  time,  and  operations  ceased  more  than  ten  years  ago. 

In  general  it  is  believed  that  this  seam  of  coal  is  probably  too  thin 
to  be  of  commercial  importance  for  many  years.  It  is  possible,  how¬ 
ever,  that  there  is  beneath  it  a  clay  of  commercial  value,  which  if  mined 
with  the  coal  could  be  profitably  extracted.  Unfortunately,  informa¬ 
tion  in  regard  to  the  quality  of  the  clay  is  not  definite.  Clays  of  com¬ 
mercial  importance,  however,  are  known  to  underlie  the  horizon  of 
No.  1  coal  in  other  parts  of  the  State,  especially  in  the  counties  west 
and  south  of  Peoria  County,  so  that  exploration  might  be  rewarded  by 
discovery  of  similar  clays  in  this  county. 


iU.  S.  Geological  Survey  Bull.  506,  p.  80. 


SANGAMON  COUNTY 
Production  and  Mines 


Production  in  tons  from  No.  5  and  No.  6  coals,  year  ending 

June  30,  1920  .  6,844,049 

Production  in  tons  from  No.  5  coal,  year  ending  June  30, 

1920  4,485,434 

Average  production  from  No.  5  and  No.  6  coals,  1916-1920, 

inclusive  .  6,696,458 

Average  production  from  No.  5  coal,  1916-1920,  inclusive  4,564,363 
Total  production,  from  No.  5  and  No.  6  coals,  1881-1920.  .129,054,297 
Total  production  from  No.  5  coal,  1881-1920 . 85, 000, 000 ± 

The  total  production  of  coal  from  Sangamon  County  for  the  year 
ending  June  30,  1920,  was  a  little  more  than  9  per  cent  of  the  State’s 
entire  output.  The  production  of  No.  5  coal  in  the  county  was  about 
two-thirds  of  the  combined  production  from  No.  5  and  No.  6  coal. 
Six  shipping  mines  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county  report  a  pro¬ 
duction  of  2,358,615  tons  of  No.  6  coal;  and  22  shipping  and  4  wagon 
mines  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county  produced  4,485,434  tons  of 
No.  5  coal.  Sangamon  County  as  a  whole  ranked  fourth  among  the 
counties  of  the  State.  The  shipping  mines  in  operation  in  1920  are 
listed  in  Table  6. 


Coal  Bearing  Rocks 

Information  concerning  the  geological  succession  of  the  northern 
part  of  Sangamon,  where  No.  5  is  the  important  coal  mined,  is  con¬ 
tained  in  a  report  on  the  Springfield  quadrangle  by  T.  E.  Savage1,  and 
in  an  earlier  report  on  the  geology  and  mineral  resources  of  the  Tallula 
and  Springfield  quadrangles  by  E.  W.  Shaw  and  T.  E.  Savage.2 

These  two  publications  will  he  largely  drawn  upon  in  describing  the 
coal-bearing  rocks  and  the  character  of  the  coals. 

The  record  of  a  deep  hole  is  included  in  Part  T  and  used  in  Plate  II. 

The  following  extract  from  State  Geological  Survey  Bulletin  20 
describes  particularly  the  rocks  underlying  the  Springfield  quadrangle 
but  applies  generally  to  all  that  part  of  the  county  covered  by  this  re¬ 
port. 


iSavage,  T.  E..  The  Geology  and  mineral  resources  of  the  Springfield 
quadrangle:  Illinois  State  Geological  Survey  Bull.  20  pp.  97-130,  1915. 

2Shaw.  E.  W..  and  Savage.  T.  E.,  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  Geol.  Atlas: 
Tullula-Springfield  folio  (No.  188)  1913. 


203 


204 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


KINDS  OF  ROCK  IN  THE  AREA 

“The  rocks  of  the  Springfield  quadrangle  consist  of:  (1)  sur- 
ficial  materials,  composed  of  unconsolidated  beds  of  glacial  till  or  drift, 
loess,  sand,  and  alluvium  which  have  been  derived  from  the  breaking 
down  of  pre-existing  rocks;  and  (2)  sedimentary  rocks,  which  under¬ 
lie  the  surficial  materials  and  consist  of  more  or  less  consolidated  beds 
of  sandstone,  shale,  limestone,  and  seams  of  coal,  arranged  in  nearly 
horizontal  layers. 


SURFICIAL  MATERIALS 

“The  surficial  materials  in  this  area  comprise  glacial,  aeolian,  and 
fluvial  deposits,  which  cover  the  sedimentary  rocks  to  an  average  depth 
of  about  35  feet.  They  are  thinnest  over  the  areas  that  formed  the  high¬ 
lands  in  the  pre-glacial  time  and  are  thickest  above  the  valleys  of  the 
early  Pleistocene  streams.  Sangamon  River  follows  such  an  old  valley 
along  its  northward  course  near  the  west  side  of  the  quadrangle.  Over 
this  valley  a  well  in  the  NW.  Ti  sec.  23,  T.  18  N.,  R.  6  W.  was  put 
down  170  feet  without  reaching  the  bottom  of  the  surficial  materials. 
The  altitude  of  the  bottom  of  this  drilling  was  125  feet  lower  than  the 
surface  of  the  consolidated  rocks  two  miles  farther  east. 

INDURATED  ROCKS 
GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 

“The  hard  rocks  of  this  region  have  been  studied  in  natural  expos¬ 
ures  through  a  thickness  of  225  feet.  By  means  of  test  borings  for 
coal  and  oil  they  have  been  explored  to  a  depth  of  1,500  feet.  Columnar 
sections  of  the  logs  of  representative  coal  shafts  and  test  borings  are 
given  in  Plate  VII.  These  show  in  detail  the  character  and  sequence 
of  the  strata  that  underlie  the  surface  materials  as  far  as  they  have 
been  explored  in  this  region.  All  the  information  concerning  the  rocks 
underlying  the  Pennsylvanian  strata  in  this  area  is  obtained  from  a 
drilling  near  Springfield,  a  log  of  which  is  shown  in  section  1,  Plate 
VII.  The  succession  and  geological  position  of  these  rocks  are  also 
shown  in  the  following  generalized  section. 


% 


10 

( 

104 

20< 

30( 

400 

SOO 

600 

700 

800 

900 

1000 

1100 

1200 

1300 


eoeogicae  Survey 


Mining  Investigations  Buee.  26,  Peate  VII 


No.  4 


LACK  SHALE  - 


>ANDY  SHALE 
LONGLOMERATE 


ANDY  LIMESTONE 


LALY  LIMESTONE 
MESTONE  a..J  EUNT 


HESTON  E  tMi  CHERT 


LIST  OF  RECORDS  SHOWING  LOCATIONS 

1.  Diamond  drill,  SE.  M  sec.  5,  T.  15  N,  R.  5  W. 

2.  Generalized  Peoria  section 

3.  Generalized  Springfield  section 

4.  Madison  Coal  Company,  shaft  No.  6,  Divemon 

5.  Mechanicsburg  mine  shaft 

6.  Springfield  Colliery  Company  shaft,  SW.  V*  sec.  13,  T.  16  N.,  R.  5  W. 

7.  Williamson  Coal  Company  shaft,  NW.  %  sec.  20,  T.  17  N.,  R.  4  W. 


LACK  SHALE 


Plate  VII. — Stratigraphic  sections  from  the  Springfield  quadrangle. 


SANGAMON  COUNTY 


205 


Generalized  section  of  hard  rocks  known  in  the  Spring  field 

quadrangle 


Thickness 


Pennsylvanian  system —  Feet 

McLeansboro  formation — including  all  of  the  Pennsylvanian 
strata  above  the  top  of  No.  6  coal,  and  composed  of  shales, 

sandstones,  some  impure  limestones,  and  thin  coals .  46-225 

Carbondale  formation — embracing  all  of  the  strata  between 
the  base  of  No.  2  coal  and  the  top  of  No.  6  coal;  and  con¬ 
sisting  of  shales,  sandstones,  limestone,  and  productive  coal 

beds;  about  .  243 

Pottsville  formation — comprising  the  strata  between  the  bot¬ 
tom  of  the  Pennsylvanian  and  the  base  of  No.  2  coal,  and 
composed  mostly  of  sandstones  in  the  lower  and  shales  in 
the  upper  part,  with  interbedded  thin  coals;  about .  278 


) 


Mississippian  system — 

Salem  and  St.  Louis  formations — predominantly  limestones 

with  some  shales;  about .  215 

Keokuk  and  Warsaw  formations — dominantly  shales  with  some 

limestones;  about  .  164 

Burlington  formation — cherty  limestones  and  chert;  about.  . .  .  106 

Kinderhook  formation — greenish  to  bluish-gray  shale,  lime¬ 
stone  and  red  shaly  limestone;  about .  155 

Devonian  system — 

Upper  Devonian  series — dark  shale  with  spores  of  Sporangites 

abundant;  about  .  133 

Middle  Devonian  series  (Hamilton  of  Iowa  or  Northwest 

province) — gray  limestone;  to  bottom  of  boring...... .  28  + 


POTTSVILLE  FORMATION 


“Pottsville  strata  comprising  the  base  of  the  Pennsylvanian  sys¬ 
tem  have  been  explored  in  three  deep  borings.  They  consist  of  coarse, 
gray  sandstone  and  some  conglomerate  in  the  lower  part,  and  shales  or 
sandy  shales  predominating  in  the  middle  and  upper  portions.  A  thin 
coal  bed  lies  140  feet  from  the  base  and  a  somewhat  thicker  coal  about 
100  feet  above  the  former  and  33  feet  below  the  bottom  of  No.  2  coal. 


CARBONDALE  FORMATION 

“It  has  seemed  desirable  by  the  Survey  to  use  the  name  Carbondale 
as  a  substitute  for,  and  to  make  it  embrace  all  the  strata  that  were 
included  in,  both  the  Petersburg  and  the  La  Salle  formations  as  de¬ 
scribed  in  a  previous  report.1  This  is  the  important  coal-bearing  for¬ 
mation  in  the  State.  Its  basal  member,  No.  2  coal,  consists  usually  of 
two  thin  beds  separated  by  about  4  feet  of  dark  shale.  Above  this  coal 

iDeWolf,  P.  W.,  Introduction  to  studies  of  Illinois  coal:  Illinois  State 
Geological  Survey  Bulletin  16,  p.  180,  1910. 


206 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


is  a  shale  which  is  followed  by  sandstone,  and  that  succeeded  by  dark- 
colored  shale  up  to  an  18-inch  coal  bed,  about  80  feet  above  coal  No. 
2.  Between  this  coal  and  the  next  higher  coal  bed  is  an  interval  of 
about  55  feet,  occupied  almost  exclusively  by  dark  shale.  Above  this 
coal  gray  or  blue  to  black  shales  extend  to  coal  No.  5  which  lies  about 
54  feet  above  the  next  lower  coal. 

“No.  5  (Springfield)  coal  is  the  important  coal  seam  in  this  region 
and  has  an  average  thickness  of  about  6  feet.  It  contains  numerous 


Fig.  26. — Phonograph  of  a  shale  bed  a  short  distance  above  No.  7  coal,  ex¬ 
posed  in  the  south  bank  of  Spring  Creek,  NE.  14  sec.  25,  T.  16  N.,  R.  6  W. 


characteristic  clay  seams  or  'horsebacks’  which  extend  down  into  it, 
or  through  it,  in  a  more  or  less  vertical  direction.  The  roof  of  this 
coal  consists  of  3  to  5  feet  of  black,  laminated,  fissile  shale  bearing 
numerous  shells  of  Orbiculoidea  missouriensis  and  other  fossils,  and 
containing  in  the  lower  part  numerous  rounded  nodules  ('nigger- 
heads’)  of  calcareous  pyritic  shale.  A  limestone  cap  rock,  generally 
about  12  inches  thick,  overlies  the  black  shale,  and  is  followed  by  1  to 

4  feet  of  light-colored  shale.  No.  6  coal  lies  about  50  feet  above  No. 

5  coal  and,  with  the  exception  of  No.  5  cap  rock,  the  strata  lying  be¬ 
tween  these  coals  are  mostly  shale. 


SANGAMON  COUNTY 


207 


“Within  the  quadrangle  No.  6  coal  is  only  2  to  14  inches  thick,  but 
it  becomes  thicker  and  has  been  mined  at  Mechanicsburg  to  the  east 
and  at  Chatham  to  the  south,  only  a  short  distance  from  the  borders 
of  this  area. 

MCLEAN  SBORO  FORMATION 

“The  roof  shale  of  No.  6  coal,  the  basal  member  of  the  McTeans- 
boro  formation,  is  3  to  5  feet  thick.  It  is  followed  by  about  6  feet  of 
limestone  which  contains  Fusulina  ventricosa  as  the  characteristic  fos¬ 
sil.  A  thin  coal  (No.  7)  3  to  4  inches  thick,  occurs  about  45  feet  above 
the  No.  6  bed.  Between  these  coals  are  several  feet  of  red,  mottled 
shales  which  are  exposed  at  Ralls  Ford  on  Sangamon  River,  and  con- 


Fig.  27. — \  icw  of  sandstone  below  No.  8  coal,  exposed  in  the  north  bank  of 
Sangamon  River  at  Carpenter’s  bridge,  NW.  14  sec.  1,  T.  16  N.,  R.  5  W. 


stitute  a  very  characteristic  and  easily  recognized  horizon  throughout 
this  region.  The  shale  may,  for  convenience,  be  called  the  Ralls  Ford 
shale  member.  Above  No.  7  coal  there  follows  a  bed  of  bluish-gray 
shale  with  occasional  sandy  layers  about  45  feet  thick,  exposed  in  the 
south  bank  of  Spring  Creek  in  the  NE-Fl  sec.  25,  T.  16  N.,  R.  6  W., 
and  shown  in  figure  26. 

“Over  a  very  limited  area  near  the  extreme  northwest  corner  of 
the  quadrangle  there  outcrops  along  Indian  Creek  about  6  feet  of  hard, 
gray,  partly  brecciated  limestone  which  is  better  exposed  in  the  banks 
of  Rock  Creek  a  few  miles  west  of  Athens.  This  limestone  is  thought 
to  correspond  with  the  Lonsdale  quarry  limestone  in  the  Peoria  quad- 


208 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


rangle.  Over  the  greater  portion  of  the  Springfield  area  this  limestone 
is  wanting,  but  its  place  appears  to  be  at  the  top  of  the  shale  bed  above 
No.  7  coal. 

“Above  this  shale  are  30  or  more  feet  of  sandstone  exposed  in  the 
north  bank  of  Sangamon  River  at  Carpenter’s  bridge,  NW.  sec.  1,  T. 
16  N.,  R.  5  W.  (see  figure  27).  A  few  feet  of  shale  separates  this 
sandstone  from  No.  8  coal  and  associated  beds. 

“No.  8  coal,  the  underclay  below,  and  the  roof  shale  and  cap  rock 
above,  comprise  a  succession  of  strata  that  are  easily  recognized  in  the 
logs  of  mine  shafts  and  test  borings  in  the  central  and  eastern  portions 
of  the  area.  They  outcrop  in  the  west  bank  of  Sugar  Creek,  sec.  13,  T. 
15  N.,  R  5  W. ;  in  the  south  bank  of  the  Sangamon  River,  sec.  6,  T.  16 
N.,  R.  4  W. ;  and  in  the  east  bank  of  Fancy  Creek,  sec.  13,  T.  N.,  R.  4 
W. 

“Above  the  limestone  overlying  No.  8  coal  is  40  or  50  feet  of  shale 
exposed  in  the  shale  pit  of  the  Springfield  Paving  Brick  Co.  near 
Springfield.  This  is  followed  by  about  35  feet  of  sandstone  which 
outcrops  along  Sangamon  River  near  the  middle  of  sec.  4,  T.  15  N., 
R.  4  W.,  and  in  the  south  half  of  sec.  27,  T.  16  N.,  R.  4  W. 

“Belonging  a  few  feet  above  this  sandstone  is  the  Crow’s  Mill  lime¬ 
stone,  exposed  in  the  old  quarry  near  Crow’s  Mill  along  Sugar  Creek 
about  3  miles  south  of  the  quadrangle.  This  is  a  hard  limestone,  bear¬ 
ing  large  shells  of  Productus,  Spirifer,  and  Composita.  It  occurs  in 
heavy  layers,  large  masses  of  which,  more  or  less  shifted  by  the  ice 
sheets  of  the  glacial  period,  are  present  in  the  area  under  discussion.”  1 

Structure 

The  structure  of  that  part  of  Sangamon  County  which  is  included 
within  the  Tallula  and  Springfield  quadrangles  has  been  determined 
with  as  great  detail  as  possible  and  the  lay  of  the  rocks  as  determined 
by  the  altitude  of  No.  5  coal  is  shown  by  maps  in  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Folio  188. 2 

The  structure  map  of  the  county,  Plate  VIII,  is  relatively  detailed 
for  the  area  included  within  the  Tallula  and  Springfield  quadrangles; 
but  the  structure  for  the  part  of  the  county  east  of  the  quadrangles 
is  based  on  very  scattered  data  and  estimated  elevations,  and  accord¬ 
ingly  is  shown  by  dashed  contour  lines. 

The  following  statement  from  the  Tallula-Springfield  folio  sum¬ 
marizes  the  structure  in  that  area.  The  description  includes  the  ad¬ 
jacent  southeast  portion  of  Menard  County. 

iSavage,  T.  E.,  The  geology  and  mineral  resources  of  the  Springfield 
quadrangle:  Illinois  State  Geological  Survey  Bull.  20,  pp.  102-107,  1915. 

2Shaw,  E.  TV.,  and  Savage,  T.  E.,  Geological  Survey  Geol.  Atlas:  Tallula- 
Springfield  Folio  (No.  188),  1913. 


Illinois  State  Geological  Survey 

R8J& 


T  18  N. 


Mining  Investigations  Bull.  26,  Plate  VIII 

R  4  W 


T.  17  N. 


T  16  N. 


T.15N. 


- * - -  County  lino. 

— - Township  Uno. 


V 


--Outcrop  of  No.  6  (Spring- 
✓  no  Id)  cool. 


^  Outcrop  of  No.  ft  (Ilor- 
*  rln)  ooiL 


»ContourM  nIiowImk  olovn- 
tlon  above  mou  lovol  of 
No.  6  coni. 


Plate  VIII. — Structure  map  of  the  Tallula  and  Springfield  quadrangles,  lying  mostly  in  Sangamon  County,  but  partly  in  Menard  County. 


SANGAMON  COUNTY 


209 


STRUCTURE  OF  THE  TAELUEA  AND  SPRINGFIELD  QUADRANGLES 

“As  a  rule  the  strata  of  the  Tallula  and  Springfield  quadrangles 
dip  somewhat  south  of  east  at  the  rate  of  about  10  feet  to  the  mile, 
but  this  general  dip  is  modified  by  low  folds  and  minor  irregularities, 
most  of  which  are  too-ill  defined  to  be  described  separately  but  which 
are  shown  on  the  maps  by  contours  drawn  at  intervals  of  25  feet  on 
the  base  of  the  Springfield  coal.  These  irregularities  are  the  product 
of  irregularities  in  the  surface  upon  which  each  layer  was  deposited 
and  of  differential  settling  and  warping  since  deposition.  The  prev¬ 
alent  eastward  dip  is,  in  part  at  least,  the  result  of  deformation.  It 
carries  the  base  of  the  Carbondale  formation  from  a  position  about 
200  feet  below  the  surface  at  the  western  side  of  the  area  to  one  nearly 
600  feet  below  the  surface  on  the  eastern  side.  This  general  dip  is 
modified  by  a  syncline  just  east  of  Tallula,  by  an  anticline  extending 
southwestward  from  Springfield,  and  by  many  minor  irregularities. 
The  syncline  east  of  Tallula  is  steeper  on  its  west  side,  as  might  be  ex¬ 
pected  on  account  of  the  prevailing  eastward  dip.  In  the  mine  of  the 
Tallula  Coal  Co.  the  dip  is  so  steep  that  the  mine  cars  on  an  eastward 
trip  must  be  ‘spragged’  or  otherwise  held  in  check.  However,  even 
where  steepest,  the  dip  dos  not  exceed  60  feet  to  the  mile.  In  the 
northeastern  part  of  the  area  the  predominant  dip  is  eastward  and  is 
about  10  feet  to  the  mile.  In  the  southern  part  the  general  dip  is  south¬ 
eastward  but  is  modified  by  a  syncline  and  anticline  which  enter  the 
area  near  the  middle  of  the  southern  side.  The  anticline  extends  north¬ 
eastward  as  far  as  Springfield,  whence  it  curves  to  the  southeast,  passing 
near  the  village  of  Keys.  West  of  Springfield  the  strata  in  the  flanks 
of  the  arch  dip  15  feet  to  the  mile,  but  east  of  Springfield  they  be 
progressively  flatter  on  both  sides  of  the  axis,  for  the  anticline  plunges 
southeastward  in  conformity  to  the  general  dip. 

“In  some  areas  the  Springfield  coal  is  almost  level  throughout 
several  square  miles ;  in  others  it  dips  more  than  20  feet  to  the  mile. 
In  some  places  its  dip  differs  from  the  general  slope  or  is  even  oppo¬ 
site  to  it.  In  most  of  the  mines,  however,  it  has  almost  no  percepti’ 
dip,  and  throughout  a  considerable  area  between  Pleasant  Plains  and 
Salisbury  the  coal  bed  and  the  other  strata  seem  to  lie  practically  hor¬ 
izontal.  In  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  Tallula  quadrangle  the  beds 
so  far  as  is  known  dip  regularly  southeastward  at  the  rate  of  about  15 
feet  to  the  mile,  but  in  that  district  few  borings  have  reached  the  coal 
and  some  of  the  structural  features  may  have  not  yet  been  brought  to 
light.  Indeed,  throughout  a  considerable  part  of  this  quadrangle  no 
borings  have  reached  recognizable  strata,  and  the  structure  map  there¬ 
fore  lacks  many  details  which  can  be  shown  when  the  coal  has  been 


210 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


worked  more  extensively,  but  the  mine  shafts  and  borings  already  sunk 
are  rather  uniformly  distributed,  so  that  the  major  structural  features 
as  shown  are  believed  to  be  approximately  correct.”  1 

Coals 

COALS  BELOW  NO.  5 

“A  fairly  persistent  coal  bed  about  2^4  feet  thick  lies  about  58  feet 
below  No.  5  coal.  Another  bed,  which  seems  persistent,  occurs  about 
120  feet  below  No.  5  coal,  and  averages  about  2  feet  in  thickness.  Two 
other  coal  beds  which  are  locally  present,  aggregating  about  3  feet 
in  thickness  and  separated  by  a  few  feet  of  shale,  lie  at  a  depth  of 
about  191  feet  below  No.  5  coal.  In  the  Riverton  section  a  32-inch 
coal  was  reported  250  feet  below  the  No-.  5  bed,  but  in  the  Springfield 
boring  the  corresponding  coal  is  much  thinner.  A  few  other  thin  bands 
occur  locally  in  the  Pennsylvanian  strata  below  No.  5  coal.  At  some 
future  time  one  or  more  of  these  lower  coals  may  be  of  economic 
importance,  but  until  the  No.  5  bed  becomes  practically  exhausted,  the 
deeper  and  thinner  coals  will  not  be  exploited. 

No.  5  Coal 

CHARACTERISTICS  OF  NO.  5  COAL 

“The  coal  known  as  No.  5  (Springfield)  is  the  only  bed  at  present 
worked  in  the  quadrangle.  Its  thickness  varies  but  little  in  the  differ¬ 
ent  mines,  the  range  within  the  area  being  from  5 to  6%  feet.  It  lies 
entirely  below  drainage,  being  found  at  depths  from  150  to  273  feet 
below  the  surface.  The  depth  to  the  coal  at  any  one  place  depends  both 
upon  the  altitude  of  the  surface  and  the  altitude  of  the  coal  at  that 
place.  No.  5  coal  is  remarkably  uniform  and  persistent,  being  found 
at  every  place  where  borings  have  been  put  down  to  its  level,  and  it  is 
also  present  in  the  State  over  an  extensive  territory  to  the  west  and 
south  of  the  area. 

CLAY  SFAMS  IN  NO.  5  COAL 

“One  of  the  conspicuous  features  of  No.  5  (Springfield)  coal  is 
the  occurrence  in  it  of  numerous  “horsebacks,”  as  they  are  called  by 
the  miners.  These  are  more  or  less  irregular  and  branching  fissures 
filled  with  clay  or  shale,  extending  downward  from  the  overlying  beds 
into  or  through  the  coal.  They  range  in  width  from  2  of  3  inches  to> 
3  or  4  foet,  the  walls  not  being  very  nearly  parallel,  and  are  considera¬ 
bly  and  abruptly  wider  in  the  coal  than  in  the  overlying  roof  shale- 
(See  fig.  28.) 


iOp.  cit. 


f 


SANGAMON  COUNTY 


211 


“The  clay  or  shale  filling  the  fissures  is  light  gray  and  generally 
soft.  Rarely  it  is  hard  enough  to  emit  sparks  when  struck  with  a  ham¬ 
mer,  but  as  a  rule  it  soon  slakes  down  into  an  incoherent  mass  on  ex¬ 
posure  to  the  air.  The  clay  in  many  fissures  contains  fragments  of 
black  shale  derived  from  the  roof  of  the  coal,  reaching  down  29  inches, 
below  the  top  of  the  coal.  A  few  fragments  of  limestone  from  the  cap 
rock  are  also  found  in  this  clay  below  the  top  of  the  coal  bed.  In  horse¬ 
backs  that  cut  through  the  coal  bed  pieces  of  coal  have  been  found  as 
much  as  9  inches  below  the  bottom  of  the  bed.  No  fragments  of  coal 
have  been  found  higher  than  the  top  of  the  coal  bed. 

“The  fissures  show  no  regularity  of  spacing  or  of  direction.  In. 
some  mines  they  are  40  to  60  feet  apart;  in  others  they  are  separated 


Sandstone 

Gray  argillite 
“soapstone” 

Limestone 
Black  shale 


Springfield 
(No  5)  coal 


UndercFa' : 


Fig.  28. — Sketch  of  typical  clay  seam  or  “horseback”  seen  in  the  Springfield 
Coal  Mining  Company’s  No.  5  mine,  near  Springfield. 


by  200  to  400  feet  or  more.  They  trend  in  various  directions,  no  one 
direction  predominating,  even  in  the  same  mine.  All  are  either  vertical 
or  steeply  inclined,  with  irregular  walls  which  gradually  converge 
downward  within  the  coal.  They  have  a  very  slight  vertical  range.  In 
the  Mechanisburg  mine  a  coal  bed,  formerly  worked,  lies  about  35  feet 
above  No.  5  coal,  which  is  the  coal  now  mined.  Although  No.  5  coal  is 
cut  by  numerous  horsebacks,  none  were  encountered  in  the  higher  bed. 

“The  walls  of  the  fissures  are  slickensided  but  show  no  traces  of 
weathering.  Slickensided  planes  are  also  common  in  the  clay  filling 
the  fissures.  If  the  fissure  is  inclined,  the  uppermost  laminae  of  the 
coal  adjacent  to  the  fissure  on  the  overhanging  side  are  bent  somewhat 


212 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


steeply  downward,  the  distortion  fading  out  laterally  within  a  few  feet 
from  the  fissure,  and  in  a  few  places  the  lowermost  laminae  of  the  coal 
on  the  other  side  of  the  fissure  are  bent  upward,  but  to  a  much  less 
degree.  If  the  fissure  is  vertical,  or  nearly  vertical,  the  uppermost 
laminae  of  the  coal  are  bent  downward  on  both  sides  of  the  fissure,  but 
the  more  nearly  vertical  the  fissure  the  less  the  amount  of  bending.  In 
no  fissure  is  there  a  true  fault  or  a  relative  displacement  of  the  middle 
part  of  the  coal  bed  on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  fissure. 

“The  material  filling  the  fissures  appears  to  have  been  derived 
chiefly  from  the  gray  shale  overlying  the  cap  rock  of  the  coal  bed  and 
to  have  been  forced  downward  into  the  coal  through  breaks  in  the  cap 
rock,  as  is  indicated  by  the  downward  bending  of  the  edges  of  the  cap 
rock  and  of  the  coal  laminae,  by  the  occurrence  of  the  fragments  of  the 
cap  rock  below  the  top  of  the  coal,  and  by  the  continuity  of  the  ma¬ 
terial  of  the  fissures  with  that  of  the  bed  of  gray  shale. 

“The  coal  appears  to  have  yielded  readily  in  a  lateral  direction,  as 
shown  by  the  greater  width  of  the  fissures  in  the  coal  bed  than  in  the 
overlying  and  underlying  strata.  That  the  coal  afforded  accommodation 
to  the  strains  causing  the  fissures  is  also  indicated  by  the  fact  that  many 
of  the  smaller  fissures  divide  within  the  coal  bed  into  branches  which 
eventually  die  out  in  the  coal. 

“O'igin  of  Clay  Seams. — The  formation  of  the  clay-filled  fissures 
in  the  Springfield  coal  was  probably  determined  in  part  by  the  char¬ 
acter  of  the  overlying  strata  and  in  part,  possibly,  by  the  character  of 
the  underclay,  which  is  dry  and  does  not  creep  readily.  The  fissures 
were  formed  after  the  coal  bed  had  been  compressed  nearly  to  its 
present  volume,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  clay  seams  are  not  so 
deformed  as  they  would  be  if  the  coal  had  been  greatly  compressed 
after  they  were  developed.  In  some  places  clay  from  the  fissures  has 
penetrated  joints  in  the  adjacent  coal,  indicating  that  joints  had  been 
developed  in  the  coal  prior  to  the  formation  of  the  clay  seams.  Camp¬ 
bell1  suggests  that  the  carbonization  of  the  coal  beyond  the  lignitic 
condition  depends  on  the  presence  of  joints  and  cleavage  planes  along 
which  gases  may  escape.  If  so,  the  bed  should  have  undergone  con¬ 
siderable  compression  and  contraction  after  the  joints  were  formed 
before  it  became  bituminous. 

“It  is  assumed  that  as  the  mass  was  slowly  transformed  into  coal 
the  contraction  in  its  different  parts  was  somewhat  unequal,  owing  to 
its  lack  of  homogeneity,  and  that  the  contraction  continued  long  after 
the  coal  had  been  greatly  consolidated.  As  long  as  the  material  pos¬ 
sesses  some  degree  of  mobility  the  unequal  shrinkage  in  the  different 


iCampbell,  M.  R.,  Econ.  Geology,  Yol.  I,  No.  1,  p.  30,  1905. 


SANGAMON  COUNTY 


213 


parts  of  the  bed  was  equalized  by  the  movement  of  some  of  the 
mass  toward  points  of  least  resistance.  When  the  consolidation 
reached  a  certain  stage  such  adjustment  was  no  longer  possible,  so 
that  continued  unequal  shrinkage  of  the  mass  produced  unequal  strains 
in  the  roof  of  the  coal  under  its  load  of  superposed  rocks.  Where  the 
roof  of  the  coal  bed  was  a  somewhat  plastic  shale  the  mobility  of  the 
particles  of  the  shale  permitted  an  adjustment  of  the  inequalities  of 
strain,  resulting  from  the  unequal  contraction  of  the  coal  bed,  the  ad¬ 
justment  being  accomplished  by  the  formation  of  rock  rolls  such  as  are 
common  at  the  top  of  the  No.  6  (Herrin)  coal  in  the  Carterville- 
Zeigler  region  of  southern  Illinois.  The  roof  shale  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  rolls  is  cut  by  slickensided  zones  for  several  feet  from  the  center 
of  the  roll,  indicating  a  considerable  lateral  movement  in  the  shale 
during  the  adjustment  necessitated  by  the  strains.  The  roof  of  the 
Springfield  coal,  however,  is  a  hard,  brittle  shale  without  the  mobility 
requisite  for  such  adjustment.  If  the  limestone  cap  rock  had  been 
very  thick  it  might  have  withstood,  without  fracture,  the  strain  due 
to  unequal  contraction  in  the  underlying  coal,  but  its  average  thickness 
is  only  12  or  14  inches.  The  roof  shale  and  the  cap  rock  were  together 
not  strong  enough  to  withstand  the  unequal  strains  to  which  they  were 
subjected  and  broke  under  the  pressure,  at  places  marked  by  fissures. 

‘‘Immediately  above  the  cap  rock  is  a  bed  of  rather  soft  gray 
shale,  the  material  of  which  was  squeezed  downward  through  the 
fissures  into  the  coal  until  the  inequalities  of  pressure  were  adjusted. 
The  adjustment  was  limited  to  a  narrow  zone  below  the  fractures  in 
the  roof  shale  and  cap  rock,  and  its  effects  are  of  slight  horizontal 
extent  but  penetrate  to  considerable  depths. 

CONCRETIONS  ABOVE  NO.  5  COAL 

“Rounded  concretions  of  calcareous,  pyritic  shale,  called  pyrite 
balls  or  ‘niggerheads’  and  varying  in  size  from  one  inch  to  four 
feet  or  more  in  diameter,  are  in  places  numerous  along  the  contact 
zone  of  the  black  shale  with  the  top  of  the  coal.  These  concretions 
have  been  compressed  less  than  either  the  overlying  black  shale  or  the 
underlying  coal,  and  hence  the  laminae  of  the  black  shale  arch  upward 
over  the  ‘niggerheads,’  and  those  of  the  upper  part  of  the  coal  bend 
downward  beneath  them.  The  continued  contraction  of  the  coal  seam, 
after  the  partial  consolidation  of  the  coal  and  of  the  overlying  black 
shale,  permitted  a  sufficient  amount  of  movement  to  take  place  around 
and  above  the  ‘niggerheads’  to  give  their  surface  a  slickensided  ap¬ 
pearance,  and  to  cause  them  to  fall  readily  from  their  matrix  after  the 
underlying  coal  has  been  removed. 


214 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


•  T?  l 


NO.  6  COAL, 

“No.  6  (Belleville  or  Herrin)  coal  is  known  only  from  the  records 
of  mine  shafts  and  test  borings,  and  as  far  as  known  is  too  thin  to 
he  profitably  worked  within  this  area.  This  bed  was  formerly  mined 
at  Mechanicsburg  some  distance  east  of  Springfield  and  it  is  mined 
extensively  20  miles  south.  The  coal  where  first  penetrated  by  the 
Mechanicsburg  shaft  was  about  6  feet  in  thickness,  but  it  thinned 
rapidly  northward,  and  was  abandoned  when  No.  5  coal  was  dis¬ 
covered  below  it.  In  two  of  the  shaft  sections  it  was  reported  absent, 
Tut  in  these  the  horizon  was  marked  by  a  black  shale  underlain  by  fire 
clay-  This  coal  lies  at  an  average  distance  of  49  feet  above  No.  5 
coal,  the  distance  increasing  in  general  toward  the  north. 

“In  this  quadrangle  No.  6  coal  varies  in  thickness  between  2  and 
14  inches,  the  average  being  4 y2  inches.  The  thickness  increases  rap¬ 
idly  in  a  southerly  direction.  Near  Waverly  it  is  3^4  feet  thick.  At 
Chatham  the  thickness  is  between  5  and  6  feet,  and  at  Divernon  it  is 
nearly  8  feet  thick.  This  coal  is  mined  extensively  in  the  southern 
portion  of  Sangamon  County,  and  farther  south  in  the  vicinity  of 
Belleville,  Duquoin,  Carterville,  and  Herrin. 

no.  7  COAL 

“No.  7  coal  is  not  thick  enough  to  be  of  economic  importance, 
measuring  generally  only  2  or  3  inches.  In  three  of  the  shaft  records 
the  horizon  is  known  only  by  the  associated  fire  clay  and  black  shale 
strata,  the  coal  itself  not  being  present.  The  position  of  this  coal  is 
50  feet  above  No.  6  coal,  and  about  100  feet  above  No.  5  coal. 

no.  8  coal 

“The  thickness  of  No.  8  coal  varies  from  18  to  31  inches.  The 
"bed  lies  above  drainage  over  the  whole  of  the  area  except  in  a  belt 
around  3  miles  wide  along  the  east  border,  and  it  has  been  eroded 
away  from  a  strip  of  about  equal  width  along  the  west  side  of  the 
•quadrangle.  For  several  years  before  the  deeper  and  thicker  bed,  No. 
5,  was  discovered,  this  was  the  only  coal  worked  in  the  Springfield 
region.  The  mining  was  done  by  drifts  run  into  the  hillsides  at  points 
■where  the  bed  outcropped  above  the  level  of  the  streams.  Traces  of 
such  workings  may  be  seen  along  a  branch  in  W.  ^2  sec.  32,  T.  16  N., 
R.  5  W. ;  along  the  west  bank  of  Sugar  Creek  in  sec.  12,  T.  15  N.,  R. 
5  W. ;  and  they  are  numerous  along  the  south  bank  of  Sangamon  River 
in  sec.  5  and  6  T.  16  N.,  R.  4  W.  The  greatest  measured  thickness 
of  this  coal  was  at  the  Sangamon  River  localities  where  it  reached 


Table  7. — Thickness  of  the  several  coal  beds  in  the  Springfield  and  Tallula 
quadrangles  and  the  distance  between  them  in  mine  shafts  and  borings  ° 


! 


SANGAMON  COUNTY 


215 


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Reprinted  from  Ill.  State  Geol.  Survey  Bull.  20, 


216 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


31  inches.  No.  8  coal  lies  at  an  average  distance  of  about  77  feet 
above  No.  7  coal,  and  about  175  feet  above  No.  5  coal. 

“No  swamp  conditions  or  soil  beds  seem  to  have  been  developed 
in  the  interval  between  No.  5  and  No.  6  coals.  Between  coal  beds 
No.  6  and  No.  7  there  is  generally  reported  one,  and  in  some  instances 
two,  layers  of  black  shale  with  underclays.  In  a  few  places  there  is  a. 
thin  bed  of  coal  at  one  of  these  levels.  Between  No.  7  and  No.  8  coals 
there  is  less  frequently  reported  a  clay-shale  succession  with  a  rare 
occurrence  of  a  thin  coal  bed. 

“A  comparison  of  the  thicknesses  of  the  coal  beds  from  No.  5  to 
No.  8,  inclusive,  and  of  the  distances  separating  them  in  various  mine 
shafts  and  borings  is  given  in  Table  7.”  1 

Mine  Notes 

DAWSON  COAL  MINING  COMPANY’S  MINE,  AT  DAWSON 

Entrance:  Shaft,  about  250  feet  to  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal :  Average  thickness,  5  feet  2  inches. 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  upper  foot  and  the  lower  foot  of  the 
seam  are  free  from  pyrite  but  there  are  small  discontinuous  lenses  in  the 
middle  part.  “Horsebacks”  and  niggerheads  are  fairly  numerous.  Some 
of  the  “horsebacks”  contain  much  pyrite  and  are  very  hard.  The  coal  has 
a  general  dip  to  the  east  which  is  interrupted  by  small  rolls  or  arches, 
the  dimensions  of  which  were  not  reported. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  roof  is  black  “slate,”  1  to  4  feet  thick, 
and  commonly  underlies  a  cap-rock  which  attains  a  known  thickness  of 
4  feet  and  which  in  turn  underlies  soapstone  1  to  20  feet  thick. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  underclay  is  IV2  to  5  feet  thick.  It  is 
reported  to  heave. 

BARCLAY  COAL  COMPANY’S  ABANDONED  MINE,  AT  BARCLAY 

Entrance:  Shaft;  depth  to  No.  5  coal  about  247  feet. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Averages  about  5  feet  10  inches. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  immediate  roof  is  black  slate  about  3 
feet  thick,  underlying  a  sandstone  cap-rock  2  feet  in  thickness.  The  roof 
is  reported  to  be  good. 

SANGAMON  COAL  COMPANY’S  NO.  3  MINE,  AT  CANTRALL 

Entrance:  Shaft,  206  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Averages  5Vz  feet  in  thickness,  with  a  maximum 
of  over  6  feet. 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  is  uniform  in  character  and  contains 
thin  streaks  of  pyrite  and  some  pyrite  nodules  as  the  principal  impurities. 
These  occur  in  no  great  abundance.  The  coal  is  mostly  bright  and  finely" 


iSavage,  T.  E.,  Geology  and  mineral  resources  of  the  Springfield  quad¬ 
rangle:  Ill.  State  Geological  Survey  Bull.  20,  pp.  115-120,  1913. 


SANGAMON  COUNTY 


217 


laminated.  Clay  veins  or  “horsebacks”  are  the  only  important  interruption 
in  the  continuity  of  the  bed. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  immediate  roof  is  commonly  black  “slate.” 
Locally  the  “slate”  is  absent  and  the  cap-rock  rests  upon  the  coal.  The 
usual  thickness  of  the  limestone  cap-rock  is  about  1  foot,  and  the  “slate” 
varies  up  to  about  4  feet.  Commonly  a  streak  of  pyrite  occurs  in  the  shale 
just  above  the  coal,  which  “freezes”  the  coal  to  the  shale  so  that  in  mining 
about  1  inch  of  the  coal  stays  up.  This  is  said  to  be  desirable,  as  it  pro¬ 
tects  the  shale  from  the  air.  The  slate  also  contains  “niggerheads”  which 
make  the  roof  rather  irregular. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  underclay  is  about  3  feet  thick.  It  heaves 
somewhat  when  wet. 

CITIZENS  COAL  MINING  COMPANY’S  MINE  “A,”  V2  MILE  WEST  OF 

SPRINGFIELD 

Entrance:  Shaft,  207  feet  to  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Where  measured  the  coal  had  a  thickness  of  5 
feet  4  inches. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  immediate  roof  in  the  mine  is  black 
“slate,”  IV2  to  5  feet  thick,  but  averaging  3V2  feet.  The  cap-rock  is  a 
nodular  limestone  12  to  14  inches  thick;  it  is  followed  above  by  bluish- 
gray  shale  about  15  feet  thick.  Between  the  coal  and  black  “slate”  is 
commonly  a  band  of  pyrite  with  many  fossils.  “Niggerheads”  are  present 
in  the  black  shale  and  “horsebacks”  cut  through  the  coal. 

PEERLESS  COAL  COMPANY’S  MINE,  AT  SPRINGFIELD 

Entrance:  Shaft;  223  feet  to  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  5  feet  to  6  feet  2  inches. 

Sections  of  the  coal: 

Secticns  of  No.  5  coal  in  Peerless  mine,  Peerless  Coal  Company 
Section  1 — Room  18,  1st  A  east  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

Roof:  Black  shale . 


Coal,  fairly  clean .  2  7 

Pyrite  parting . 

Coal,  fairly  clean .  3  4 


Floor:  Fire  clay 


5  11 

Section  2 — Room  1  off  UB  south  off  east  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Black  shale . 

Pyrite  .  1 

Coal,  fairly  clean,  dull .  2  3 

Pyrite  parting  . 

Coal,  dirty,  streaked  with  pyrite .  3  5 

Floor:  Dark  underclay . 


5 


9 


218 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  I"V 


Section  3 — Room  11,  1st  C  west  entr§ 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

Roof:  Black  shale . 

Coal,  fairly  clean .  5  10 

Floor:  Underclay  . 


5  10 

Character  of  the  coal :  The  coal  is  rather  hard,  bright,  hackly,  banded, 
and  contains  a  small  amount  of  pyrite  in  plates  along  joint  cracks  and  in 
lenses  parallel  to  the  bedding.  Although  the  bed  is  uniform  in  appearance 
throughout,  it  is  somewhat  harder  at  the  bottom  and  the  bottom  coal  is 
slightly  “bony”  in  places.  The  clay  veins  or  “horsebacks,”  which  are  rather 
common,  vary  in  width  up  to  more  than  3  feet. 

Character  of  the  roof :  The  immediate  roof  is  black  shale  about  3 
feet  thick,  and  the  cap-rock  is  limestone  2  inches  to  2  feet  thick,  averaging 
IV2  feet.  The  black  sheety  shale  of  the  roof  contains  “niggerheads”  of 
all  sizes  up  to  several  feet  in  diameter,  which  in  most  cases  project  from 
the  roof  down  into  the  coal,  and  around  which  the  coal  is  always  bent. 
Between  the  coal  and  the  black  shale  there  is  generally  an  inch  or  so  of 
black  shale  and  coal,  representing  a  gradation  from  the  coal  to  the  “slate” 
above.  Locally,  however,  the  parting  between  the  coal  and  the  “slate” 
is  sharp. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  underclay  is  a  dark-gray  clay,  6  feet 
thick  at  the  sump,  which  heaves  when  wet. 

MECHANICSBURG  COAL  COMPANY’S  MINE  (NOT  OPERATING),  AT  MECHANICSBURG 

Entrance:  Shaft;  300  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Average  thickness  5  feet. 

Character  of  the  coal :  The  coal  is  uniform  in  character  from  top 
to  bottom  with  no  persistent  partings  or  bands.  There  is  some  gypsum 
alorg  the  vertical  joint  cracks.  The  coal  is  finely  laminated  with  more 
mother  coal  than  is  commonly  found  in  the  mines  near  Springfield. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  roof  shale  or  “slate”  is  IV2  to  1  foot  10 
inches  thick,  and  the  cap-rock  above,  where  it  is  present,  is  limestone 
varying  up  to  1  foot  in  thickness. 

Notes  on  No.  6  coal:  About  27  feet  above  the  bed  being  operated  at 
the  time  the  above  observations  were  made  (1912)  is  the  bed  thought  to 
be  No.  6  coal  which  was  worked  two  years  before.  This  upper  bed  has  a 
4-  to  5-inch  blue  band  near  the  middle.  It  is  about  5  feet  thick  and  at 
the  shaft  lies  at  a  depth  of  277  feet.  To  the  west  it  is  higher  and  is  only 
2V2  feet  thick.  East  of  the  shaft  it  becomes  6  feet  thick  at  a  distance  of 
140  feet,  dipping  11  feet  in  the  first  55  feet,  after  which  it  becomes  level. 
At  the  air  shaft,  which  is  346  feet  north  of  the  main  shaft,  the  coal  is  81 
feet  above  its  altitude  at  the  hoisting  shaft  and  is  only  1  inch  thick. 

PEABODY  COAL  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO  6,  AT  SHERMAN 

Entrance:  Shaft;  depth  to  No.  5  coal  198  feet. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Average,  6  feet. 


SANGAMON  COUNTY 


219 


Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  is  laminated,  free  of  dirt  band,  but 
contains  considerable  mineral  charcoal.  It  shows  a  few  pyrite  bands  as 
much  as  1  inch  thick,  but  these  are  not  persistent.  Thin  plates  of  calcite 
or  gypsum  occupy  the  joint  cracks.  “Horsebacks’"  or  clay  slips  are  numer¬ 
ous.  These  are  generally  2  to  4  inches  across  and  extend  various  distances 
into  the  coal  from  the  top,  some  cutting  entirely  across  the  seam.  The 
filling  of  some  of  the  horsebacks  shows  slickensided  or  smoothed  surfaces, 
and  cementation  of  the  filling  by  calcite  or  possibly  by  pyrite  is  not  uncom¬ 
mon. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  underclay  is  hard  and  locally  at  least 
is  “frozen”  to  the  coal.  Practically  no  bottom  was  taken  up  at  the  time 
the  observations  were  made  (1912). 

SANGAMON  COAL  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  2,  AT  STEARNES  (SPRINGFIELD) 

Entrance:  Shaft;  250  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  The  coal  averages  almost  6  feet  in  thickness. 

Sections  of  the  coal: 


Sections  of  No.  5  coal  in  mine  No.  2,  Sangamon  Coal  Company  1 
Section  1 — Room  30,  off  south  entry  21 ,  one  mile  southeast  of  shaft 

Thickness 


Roof :  Shale  .... 

Coal  . 

Mother  coal  .... 

Coal  . 

Shale  . 

Coal  . 

Floor:  Fire  clay 


Ft.  in. 


2 

1 

2 


% 


5 


Vs 


4 


5  914 


Section  2 — Entry  16  off  stub  entry  4,  U,000  feet  northeast  of  shaft 


Roof :  Shale  . 

Coal  . 

Mother  coal  . 

Coal  . 

Shale  . 

Coal  . 

Floor:  Underclay 


Thickness 
F  t.  in. 

1  3 

Vs 

1  5 

Vi 

3  3 


5  11% 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  is  of  the  usual  character  for  this 
district.  Horsebacks  are  numerous,  with  a  filling  of  hard  white  clay 
which  is  somewhat  limy  and  carries  small  biJs  of  coal.  The  coal  is  well 
jointed. 

Character  of  roof:  The  roof  is  a  limy  shale,  114  to  414  feet  thick, 
with  a  cap-rock  6  inches  to  2  feet  thick.  The  shale  roof  holds  up  well  and 


iU.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  Bull.  22,  p.  510. 


220 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


is  not  generally  taken  down.  It  carries  the  usual  “niggerheads  ”  which 
form  “pots”  projecting  down  into  the  coal  and  which  are  smoothed  or 
slickensided  around  their  surfaces. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  floor  is  a  hard  gray  underclay. 


SANGAMON  COUNTY  MINING  COMPANY’S  JEFFERSON  MINE,  AT  SPRINGFIELD 

Entrance:  Shaft;  depth  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal  about  240  feet. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Varies  from  SV2  to  6V2  feet,  averaging  5  feet 
9  inches. 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  “horseback”  or  clay  veins  are  very 
numerous,  so  that  they  seriously  interfere  with  mining  operations.  Many 
extend  in  a  northwest-southeast  direction;  the  miners,  however,  say  that 
there  is  no  predominant  direction  in  which  they  run.  The  coal  is  com¬ 
monly  faulted  down  on  one  side  of  the  “slips,”  the  laminae  being  bent 
down  on  the  downthrow  side  for  a  few  feet  back  from  the  break.  The 
similarity  of  the  clay  which  fills  the  fissure  to  the  soapstone  above  the 
cap-rock  indicates  that  it  apparently  came  from  the  soapstone  through 
this  latter  bed.  Pieces  of  the  black  roof  shale  are  also  common  in  the 
“clay  veins,”  but  no  coal  fragments  are  found  in  the  clay  above  the  top 
of  the  coal  seam.  The  “horsebacks”  commonly  extend  only  part  way 
through  the  coal,  unless  they  are  large.  The  fissure  generally  widens  in 
the  coal  from  a  narrow  opening  in  the  cap-rock. 

Character  of 'the  roof:  The  immediate  roof  is  black  laminated  shale 
or  “slate.”  At  the  bottom  of  the  “slate”  and  extending  up  into  the  shale 
and  down  into  the  coal,  are  many  large  niggerheads,  some  of  them  large 
enough  to  extend  across  an  entry.  In  places  a  band  of  ferruginous  lime¬ 
stone,  2  to  6  inches  thick,  which  carries  numerous  fossils,  lies  between  the 
black  shale  and  coal.  This  occupies  the  same  position  as  the  “nigger¬ 
heads”  and  is  composed  of  similar  material. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  coal  is  underlain  by  an  underclay. 


SPRINGFIELD  DISTRICT  COAL  MINING  COMPANY’S  CORA  OR  NO.  51 

MINE,  AT  ANDREW 

Entrance:  Shaft;  145  feet  to  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Average,  6  feet. 

Roof  and  floor:  Clay  below  coal,  and  4  feet  or  more  of  limestone  above. 


SPRINGFIELD  DISTRICT  COAL  MINING  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  52, 

AT  RIVERTON 

Entrance:  Shaft,  depth  to  No.  5  coal  232  feet. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  5  feet  9  inches  to  6  feet  2  inches; 
averages  5  feet  11  inches. 

Sections  of  the  coal: 


SANGAMON  COUNTY 


221 


Sections  of  the  No.  5  coal  in  mine  No.  52  of  the  Springfield  District  Coal 

Mining  Company 


Section  1 — Rooni  2,  off  2d  north  stub  off  3d  east  north, 
2,100  feet  from  the  shaft 


Thickness 


in 


Roof :  Black  shale 

Coal,  bright  . 

Blackjack  . 

Coal,  bright . 

Pyrite  streak  .... 

Coal,  bright . 

Floor:  Fire  clay 


2 

1 

1 


1 

4 


Vs 


4 

5  Vs 

Section  2 — No.  6  room  off  10th  west 

off  main  south  entry, 

5,600  feet  from  the  i 

shaft 

Thickness 

Ft. 

in. 

Roof:  Black  slate  . 

•  • 

Coal,  bright  . 

1 

7 

Pyrite  streak  . 

% 

Coal,  bright  . 

3 

11 

5 

6% 

Section  3 — Back  entry  at  face  of  main 

south  entry,  5,700  feet 

from  shaft 

Thickness 

Ft. 

in. 

Coal,  bright  . 

1 

•  • 

Pyrite  streak  . 

% 

Coal,  bright  . 

2 

10 

Pyrite  . 

% 

Coal,  bright  . 

2 

3 

6  1% 


Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  has  no  unusual  characteristics.  The 
main  cleat  is  southeast  to  northwest  and  the  prevailing  dip  about  2M>  per 
cent  to  the  east. 

Character  of  the  roof  and  floor:  The  roof  consists  of  black  “slate’’ 
2 Vi  to  4  feet  thick,  cap-rock  about  1  foot  thick,  and  gray  shale  above  the 
cap-rock.  The  floor  is  clay  about  4  feet  thick,  resting  upon  14  inches  of 
hard  rock  below  which  is  more  shale. 


SPRINGFIELD  DISTRICT  COAL  MINING  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  53 

(WOODSIDE),  AT  SPRINGFIELD 

Entrance:  Shaft,  about  245  feet  to  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Varies  from  41/£  to  6 V\  feet:  averages  5  feet 
10  inches. 

Sections  of  the  coal : 


222 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Sections  of  the  No.  5  coal  in  mine  No.  53  of  the  Springfield  District  Coal 

Mining  Company 

Section  1 — Room  1  off  the  9th  west  entry  off  the  main  south  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Black  shale . 

Coal,  clean,  bright .  3% 

Mother  coal  .  y8 

Coal,  fairly  clean .  5  4 


5  8 

Section  2 — Room  5,  off  8th  south  entry  off  southeast  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Black  shale . 

Coal,  fairly  clean .  2  6 

Pyrite  .  Vs 

Coal,  bright,  fairly  clean .  2  9% 


5  4 

Section  3 — Room  5,  off  19th  north  entry  off  straight  east  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Black  shale . 

Coal,  very  hard,  bright,  clean .  4  4% 

Bone  and  little  pyrite .  JA 

Coal,  hard,  dull,  clean .  1  4 


5  9 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  is  reported  to  lie  in  three  benches; 
top  bench  about  1  foot  thick,  middle  bench  3%  feet,  and  bottom  bench  IV2 
feet.  The  coal  has  the  usual  laminated  appearance  due  to  dull  and  bright 
layers.  Bedded  impurities  are  inconspicuous.  The  chief  irregularities 
in  the  coal  are  the  clay  veins  (“horsebacks’  ’) .  They  vary  in  width,  the 
maximum  being  about  6  feet,  and  consist  of  gray  or  white  clay  in  which 
coal  and  limestone  fragments  are  embedded. 

Character  of  the  roof  and  floor:  The  roof  is  black  shale,  2  to  4  feet 
thick.  The  cap-rock  when  present  varies  in  thickness,  but  is  not  more 
than  18  inches  generally.  The  coal  rests  on  underclay.  It  is  reported 
that  the  clay  beneath  the  horsebacks  is  harder  and  more  pyritic  than  it  is 
elsewhere. 

SPRINGFIELD  DISTRICT  COAL  MINING  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  55, 

AT  SPRINGFIELD 

Entrance:  Shaft;  250  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Varies  from  5  feet  9  inches  to  6  feet  3  inches: 
averages  5  feet  11  inches. 


SANGAMON  COUNTY 


223 


Character  of  the  coal:  No  unusual  features  noted.  Horsebacks  are 
common  and  these  commonly  show  a  downward  bending;  of  the  coal  laminae 
on  the  side  of  the  downthrow.  The  downthrow  of  one  clay  vein  amounted 
to  13  V2  inches,  and  of  another,  15  inches.  At  a  number  of  slips,  a  slight 
upward  bending  of  the  coal  at  the  bottom  of  the  bed  opposite  the  down¬ 
throw  side  is  evident.  In  general  the  more  nearly  vertical  the  “horseback,’' 
the  less  the  displacement  of  the  coal  on  either  side. 

Character  of  the  roof  and  floor:  The  shale  which  forms  the  roof 
varies  in  thickness  from  2%  to  4  feet.  The  limestone  cap-rock  present  in 
some  places  is  commonly  3  to  6  inches  thick.  Gray  soapstone  overlies  the 
cap-rock.  Locally  a  2-  to  10-inch  bed  of  pyrite-bearing*  limestone  con¬ 
taining  numerous  fossils  lies  between  the  black  shale  and  the  coal.  The 
floor  is  underclay. 

BISSELL  COAL  COMPANY’S  MINE  AT  BISSELL  1 

Entrance:  Shaft;  about  235  feet  to  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Two  measurements  of  the  coal  in  this  mine 
show  a  thickness  of  5  feet  9  inches  and  6  feet  IV2  inches,  respectively. 

Character  of  the  coal:  “Horsebacks”  are  common,  and  thin  pyrite 
lenses  are  present  in  small  amount  in  the  middle  of  the  bed. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  roof  is  black  shale  IV2.  to  4  feet  thick, 
with  locally  a  pyrite  band  Vs  to  1  inch  thick  between  the  coal  and  the 
“slate.”  “Niggerheads”  are  not  common.  The  cap-rock  varies  from  2 
inches  to  4  feet  in  thickness. 

UNION  FUEL  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  2,  AT  KEYS 

Entrance:  Shaft;  220  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Average  thickness  between  5l/£  and  5%  feet. 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  upper  2  feet  of  the  bed  is  said  to  furnish 
the  best  coal;  the  next  foot  carries  thin  streaks  of  pyrite,  and  the  lower 
coal  is  good.  The  main  cleat  is  northeast-southwest,  and  the  bed  dips 
mainly  to  the  southwest.  On  the  extreme  east,  however,  there  is  an  east¬ 
ward  dip.  The  coal  is  cut  by  “horsebacks.” 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  roof  is  black  “slate,”  1  foot  2  inches  to 
5  feet  thick,  with  a  cap-rock  present  in  places  and  varying  in  thickness 
up  to  about  1  foot. 

UNION  FUEL  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  5,  AT  SELBYTOWN 

Entrance:  Shaft;  267  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  the  coal:  Average,  5  feet  8  inches. 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  has  a  cleat  which  is  directed  near 
east  and  west.  “Horsebacks”  are  not  numerous. 

Character  of  the  roof  and  floor:  The  roof  is  black  shale  or  “slate” 
with  an  average  thickness  of  3  feet  but  varying  from  6  inches  to  AV2  feet. 
It  is  reported  to  make  a  good  roof  and  to  have  but  few  “niggerheads.” 
The  limestone  cap-rock  is  from  4  inches  to  2  feet  thick.  The  floor  is  fire 
clay  2V6  feet  or  more  in  thickness,  which  heaves  considerably. 


lFormerly  Standard  Washed  Coal  Company,  Mine  No.  2. 


SCHUYLER  COUNTY 
Production  and  Mines 

Mining  operations  in  Schuyler  County  are  all  by  nonshipping 
(or  wagon)  mines,  and  are  confined  to  two  beds,  No.  2  and  No.  5,  of 
which  probably  No.  2  is  the  more  important.  During  the  year  ending 
June  30,  1920,  there  were  28  local  mines  in  the  county  which  produced 
a  total  of  17,737  tons.  Five  of  these,  all  in  the  vicinity  of  Rushville, 
produced  between  1,000  and  4,200  tons,  and  according  to  the  mining 
inspector’s  reports,  it  is  only  in  this  vicinity  that  No.  5  coal  is  worked 
in  Schuyler  County. 

Coal-bearing  Rocks 

Schuyler  County  is  included  within  the  area  of  District  III  as  well 


Fig.  29. — Photograph  of  No.  5  coal  in  outcrop  northeast  of  Rushville,  near 
the  center  of  sec.  23,  T.  2  N.,  R.  1  W.;  the  bed  is  cut  by  a  small  fault 
and  a  nearby  “horseback.” 

as  IV  and,  because  of  the  larger  area  underlain  by  the  No.  2  coal,  as 
compared  with  the  area  underlain  by  No.  5  coal,  will  be  discussed  in 
greater  detail  in  the  report  on  District  III  than  in  this  report.  No.  5 
coal  underlies  only  the  uplands  near  Rushville,  for  the  most  part  in 
T.  2  N.,  R.  1  W.,  and  the  eastern  part  of  T.  2  N.,  R.  2  W.  In  all  cases 
it  is  worked  by  shaft,  slope,  or  drift,  and  so  far  as  known  it  has  never 
been  stripped  to  any  extent  in  this  region,  though  there  are  possibly 


224 


SCHUYLER  COUNTY 


225 


areas  where  it  is  under  too  light  a  cover  to  permit  use  of  any  other 
method.  j  j|  V  %) 

Between  No.  5  and  No.  2  coals,  Worthen  reports  an  interval  of 
175  to  200  feet  northeast  of  Pleasant  View.  Of  these  strata  possibly 
the  most  conspicuous  is  a  heavy  sandstone  and  sandy  shale  member 
which  is  well  exposed  along  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  Rail¬ 
road  between  Rushville  and  Ray,  beginning  a  few  feet  below  No.  5 
coal  and  having  a  thickness  of  about  100  feet. 

Coals 
no.  5  COAL 

The  upper  or  No.  5  coal  in  Schuyler  County,  outcrops  near  Rush¬ 
ville,  with  a  thickness  of  4  to  6  feet,  and  has  the  usual  black  shale  roof 
with  “niggerheads”  and  limestone  cap-rock,  and  is  cut  by  “clay  veins” 
or  horsebacks.  A  photograph  of  one  of  these  “horsebacks”  as  seen 
in  an  outcrop  northeast  of  Rushville  is  reproduced  as  figure  29.  So  far 
as  known  the  coal  partakes  of  all  its  usual  characteristics  displayed  in 
Fulton  County. 

NO.  2  COAL 

No.  2  coal  is  widespread  at  a  uniform  thickness  in  Schuyler 
County  except  where  it  has  been  eroded  along  streams.  A  map  pre¬ 
sented  in  Bulletin  31  of  the  State  Geological  Survey1  indicates  a  general 
southward  dip  of  the  coal  from  580  near  Littleton  to  510  at  Frederick 
and  near  Ripley.  Assuming  a  constant  interval  between  coals  No.  2 
and  No.  5  over  the  county,  the  altitude  of  the  upper  coal  should  vary 
from  about  750  to  680  feet  from  north  to  south.  As  the  surface  alti¬ 
tude  in  Schuyler  County  rarely  exceeds  700  feet,  and  as  the  surface  of 
bed  rock  is  somewhat  lower  on  account  of  the  cover  of  glacial  drift, 
it  is  obvious  that  the  upper  coal  can  be  present  only  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county. 

The  dip  is  not  regular  to  the  south  but  is  interrupted  by  local  an¬ 
ticlines  and  synclines  which  bring  the  coal  above  or  below  the  level 
that  might  be  expected  on  the  basis  of  a  perfectly  regular  dip. 

For  a  more  detailed  account  of  No.  2  coal  in  Schuyler  County 
the  reader  must  await  a  later  bulletin  on  coal  resources  of  District  III. 

no.  1  coal 

No.  1  coal  is  known  to  have  a  local  distribution  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  county.  It  is  not  being  worked,  however,  so  far  as  is  known. 
Whenever  seen  it  was  thin,  18  inches  to  2  feet,  and  in  one  area  in  two 
beds,  each  about  2  feet  in  thickness.  This  coal  as  well  as  No.  2  will  be 
described  in  greater  detail  in  a  later  report. 

iMorse,  W.  C.,  and  Kay,  Fred  H.,  The  area  south  of  the  Colmar  oil  field: 
Illinois  State  Geological  Survey  Bull.  31,  Plate  I,  1914. 


TAZEWELL  COUNTY 

Production  and  Mines 


Production  in  tons,  year  ending  June  30,  1920 . 721,288 

Average  production  1916-1920,  inclusive . 531,272 


The  production  of  coal  from  Tazewell  County  for  the  year  end¬ 
ing  June  30,  1920,  was  a  little  less  than  one  per  cent  of  the  total  pro¬ 
duction  for  the  State  and  the  county  ranked  twentieth.  Six  shipping 
mines  and  four  local  mines  operated  in  that  year.  The  names  of  the 
six  shipping  mines  together  with  their  production  are  given  in  Table  6. 

Surficial  Deposits 

A  large  part  of  the  surface  of  Tazewell  County  is  morainic,  and 
beneath  the  ridges  of  glacial  material  the  drift  is  commonly  thick. 
For  instance,  the  preceding  record  of  a  drilling  at  Washington  shows 
a  depth  to  the  rock  of  335  feet  11  inches.  It  will  be  noted  also  that 
the  unconsolidated  material  includes  several  water-bearing  sandy  hori¬ 
zons  described  as  “quicksand.”  This  record  is  probably  representative 
of  the  more  unfavorable  conditions  for  exploration  and  development 
work  that  exist  in  the  county,  as  it  is  not  probable  that  a  much  greater 
thickness  than  335  feet  is  generally  present. 

CoAE-BEARING  ROCKS 

The  coal  bearing  rocks  of  Tazewell  County  include  strata  of  the 
Pennsylvanian  system  from  the  base  up  to  some  horizon  above  No.  7 
coal  but  probably  below  the  Lonsdale  limestone.  The  youngest  rocks 
in  the  county  are  adjacent  to  the  Illinois  from  near  Farm  Creek  to 
5  or  6  miles  south  of  Pekin.  The  slope  of  the  rock  surface  is  appa¬ 
rently  eastward  from  this  area,  wherein  it  is  at  a  relatively  high  alti¬ 
tude,  and  is  sufficient  so  that  the  rock  surface  passes  below  the  horizon 
of  No.  5  coal.  The  rock  surface  also  slopes  to  the  north  from  this 
area  wherein  it  is  relatively  high  so  that  the  surface  of  the  rock  passes 
below  the  bed  of  Farm  Creek,  the  slope  to  the  north  accordingly  being 
more  abrupt  than  that  to  the  east.  It  is  probable  that  the  rock  surface 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  county  is  largely  below  the  horizon  of 
No.  5  coal.  It  appears,  therefore,  from  the  evidence  at  hand,  that 
there  is  only  a  small  area  of  rocks  of  the  McLeansboro  formation  in 
the  western  part  of  the  county,  the  greater  part  of  the  county  being 
underlain  by  Pennsylvanian  rocks  belonging  to  the  Carbondale  and 
Pottsville  formations. 


226 


TAZEWELL  COUNTY 


227 


Record  of  drilling  in  NE.  cor.  sec  23,  T.  26  N.,  R.  3  W.,  near  Washington, 

Illinois. 


Altitude:  Est.  7U6  feet. 


Description  of  Strata 

Thickness 

Depth 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent- 

Clay  and  loam . . . . . 

Ft. 

3 

in. 

Ft. 

3 

in. 

Gravel . . . . . . 

83 

86 

Clay . . 

24 

110 

Clay  and  gravel . . 

20 

130 

Clay,  light  blue . . . . . 

15 

145 

Gravel _ _ _ _ _ 

31 

176 

Clay . . 

6 

182 

Gravel... . . . . . 

7 

189 

Clay  and  gravel  . 

10 

199 

Clay,  light  blue _ _ _ _ 

8 

207 

Gravel . . . . . 

11 

8 

218 

8 

Sand . . .  . . . . . 

9 

227 

8 

Quicksand  . 

23 

250 

8 

Gravel  _ _ _ _ _ _ 

7 

257 

8 

Quicksand,  gray . 

7 

264 

8 

Quicksand,  white . 

69 

333 

8 

Gravel . . . . . . 

2 

3 

335 

11 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

Soapstone,  light . . . 

25 

360 

11 

Sandstone,  light . 

15 

375 

11 

“Slate,”  black . . . . . 

8 

383 

11 

Coal  . . . . 

6 

384 

5 

Fire  clay  . 

4 

388 

5 

“Slate,”  light  gray . 

26 

414 

5 

“Slate,”  dark  . 

17 

6 

431 

11 

“Slate,”  black  . 

11 

4 

443 

3 

Coal  (No.  2?) . 

3 

8 

446 

11 

Fire  clay . 

3 

449 

11 

“Slate”!. . . . . . 

8 

9 

458 

8 

228 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Record  of  drilling  about  6 V2  miles  southeast  of  Pekin,  Illinois. 


Description  of  strata 

Quaternary  system — 

Pleistocene  and  Recent — 

Clay,  yellow  . 

Clay,  blue  . 

Sand  and  gravel;  some  gas 

Pennsylvanian  system — 

Shale,  dark  . 

Fire  clay  . 

Shale,  black  . 

Shale,  white  . 

Shale,  dark . 

Shale,  white  . 

Shale,  dark . 

Coal  (No.  2?) . 

Fire  clay  . 

Shale,  white  . 

Fire  clay  . 

Shale,  white  . 

Shale,  dark . 

Sandstone  . 

Shale,  white  . 

Sandstone  . 

Limestone,  blue  . 

Sandstone  . 

Limestone  . 

Sandstone  . 

Limestone  . 


Thickness 

Depth 

Feet 

Feet 

16 

16 

.  .  140 

156 

10 

166 

.  .  119 

285 

4 

289 

71 

360 

40 

400 

20 

420 

. .  45 

465 

3 

468 

4 

472 

9 

481 

34 

515 

4 

519 

84 

603 

.  .  104 

707 

1 

708 

29 

737 

5 

742 

3 

745 

4 

749 

2 

751 

3 

754 

3 

757 

The  operations  in  Tazewell  County  are  all  along  or  near  the 
Illinois  valley,  where  conditions  are  essentially  the  same  as  those  de¬ 
scribed  for  Peoria  County.  The  eastern  part  of  the  county  is  heavily 
drift  covered,  and  rock  exposures  are  very  uncommon  if  they  exist 
at  all.  So  little  drilling  has  been  deep  enough  to  penetrate  the  coal¬ 
bearing  strata  that  except  for  a  narrow  strip  between  Pekin  and  East 
Peoria,  the  distribution  and  thickness  of  the  coal  beds  is  practically 
unknown  in  this  county.  There  is  little  doubt,  however,  that  No.  2 
coal  is  widespread  throughout  the  county  in  workable  thickness,  and 
probably  No.  5  coal  is  also  present  in  large  areas. 

Neither  of  these  records  gives  sufficient  detail  to  permit  the  ac¬ 
curate  correlation  of  the  coals.  In  one  record  the  coal  at  a  depth  of 
443  feet  is  considered  as  probably  No.  2,  since  it  is  obviously  too  deep 
for  No.  5.  No.  2  coal  lies  about  150  feet  below  No.  5  in  the  Peoria 
region.  The  latter  has  an  average  altitude  of  431  feet  in  Pekin 
Township.  Thus  No.  2  would  have  an  altitude  of  about  290  feet.  In 


TAZEWELL  COUNTY 


229 


the  second  record  given  above,  the  surface  altitude  is  about  680  feet 
and  that  of  the  coal  correlated  as  No.  2  is  208  feet.  This  is  lower 
than  the  average  altitude  for  the  coal  noted  above,  but  the  difference 
may  be  accounted  for  by  the  eastward  dip  of  the  rocks.  The  upper 
coal,  No.  5,  was  apparently  missed  in  drilling  this  hole,  whereas  in  the 
hole  near  Washington  it  has  apparently  been  eroded,  the  base  of  the 
drift  lying  below  the  horizon  of  the  coal. 

POTTSVILLE  FORMATION 

Concerning  the  character  of  the  Pottsville  formation  in  this 
county  the  only  available  information  is  that  afforded  by  several  water 
well  records  near  Pekin  and  East  Peoria,  supplemented  by  data  con¬ 
cerning  the  strata  in  the  eastern  part  of  Peoria  County.  It  is  unneces¬ 
sary  to  repeat  the  description  of  the  formation  as  given  for  Peoria 
County.  It  may  be  pointed  out,  however,  that  near  Peoria  in  the 
Pottstown  mine,  one  workable  coal  lies  110  to  130  feet  below  No.  2 
coal.  This  coal  lies  in  two  benches  separated  by  nearly  3  feet  of  shale, 
the  upper  bench  1  foot  3  inches  and  the  lower  bench  2  feet  3 
inches  in  thickness.  It  is  thought  to  be  the  No.  1  coal  of  the  Illinois 
coal,  which  has  been  mined  extensively  in  the  Rock  Island  region  and 
in  the  mine  at  Parrville,  Fulton  County.  Although  this  coal  is  too  thin 
to  be  mined  profitably  at  present,  it  represents  a  valuable  resource 
which  must  be  drawn  upon  some  day. 

Between  No.  1  and  No.  2  coals  there  are  possibly  two  coals  of 
workable  thickness,  one  30  to  40  feet  above  No.  1  coal  and  the  other 
about  the  same  distance  below  No.  2  coal.  The  lower  of  these  coals 
in  some  of  the  wells  drilled  in  the  Peoria  district  was  reported  to  be 
about  30  inches  in  thickness,  and  the  other  between  1  and  2  feet.  It 
is  physically  possible  to  mine  coals  18  inches  thick,  with  the  proper 
equipment,  at  a  cost  not  greatly  exceeding  the  cost  of  mining  the  thin¬ 
nest  of  the  coals  now  mined  in  the  State.  Eventually  after  the  sup¬ 
ply  of  thicker  coal  has  been  exhausted,  these  thin  beds  will  doubtless 
be  worked. 

CARBONDALE  FORMATION 

At  the  base  of  the  Carbondale  formation  lies  No.  2  coal,  which 
is  very  probably  widespread  in  this  county,  and  has  a  thickness  of 
about  3  feet.  It  is  present  at  Pekin  and  East  Peoria  and  at  Washing¬ 
ton,  and  in  the  surrounding  counties,  and  lies  nearly  level  throughout 
a  large  area  east  of  the  Illinois.  There  is  only  about  50  feet  difference 
in  the  altitude  of  this  coal  at  Pekin,  at  Bloomington,  and  at  Washing¬ 
ton.  This  coal  commonly  has  a  “soapstone”  or  gray  shale  roof  up  to 
about  20  feet  in  thickness  with  a  3-foot  black  paper-shale  overlying 


230 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


the  soapstone.  The  roof  is  especially  adapted  to  the  longwall  method 
of  mining  which  is  employed  in  all  cases  where  this  seam  is  worked. 

The  details  of  the  succession  between  this  coal  and  No.  5  are  not 
known.  In  surrounding  counties  the  strata  consist  largely  of  shale  with 
massive  sandstone  near  the  top  of  the  section  not  uncommonly.  The 
interval  between  these  two  coals  in  the  Peoria  region  varies  from  110 
to  140  feet,  and  at  Bloomington  it  is  130  feet,  or  essentially  the  same 
as  at  Peoria.  It  is  not  improbable,  therefore,  that  the  thicknesses  and 
succession  of  strata  are  about  the  same  in  the  intermediate  region 
which  includes  Tazewell  County.  Details  of  the  succession  can  be 
learned  by  reference  to  the  chapters  on  McLean  and  Peoria  counties. 

No.  5  coal,  which  underlies  at  least  the  western  part  of  the 
county  in  the  vicinity  of  East  Peoria  and  Pekin,  and  probably  extends 
as  far  east  as  Groveland,  varies  in  thickness  from  about  4  feet  4  inches 
at  the  north  to  about  4  feet  8  to  10  inches  to  the  south.  It  has  the 
usual  characteristics  of  No.  5  coal;  that  is,  it  does  not  lie  in  benches, 
is  characteristically  cut  by  clay  veins  and  by  py rite-failed  veins 
(“spars”),  and  contains  banded  brown  or  gray  pyrite  and  a  few  bright 
pyrite  balls  in  the  upper  part  of  the  bed.  Within  the  area  of  its  out¬ 
crop  along  the  bluff  and  beneath  the  drift  it  is  fairly  continuous,  but 
in  places  is  interrupted  by  “faults”  which  are  interpreted  as  channel 
sandstone  just  as  are  the  “faults”  on  the  Peoria  side  of  the  river.  Just 
northeast  and  south  of  its  outcrop  the  coal  is  apt  to  be  affected  by  pre¬ 
glacial  or  glacial  erosion,  so  that  considerable  areas  may  not  be  min- 
able.  Development  work  in  this  county  and  in  this  coal  bed  should 
be  preceded  by  careful  exploration  by  the  drill. 

The  strata  overlying  No.  5  coal  vary  from  the  usual  black  slate, 
clod  cap-rock,  and  gray-shale  succession  to  sandstone.  Especially  in 
Groveland  Township  sandstone  is  apparently  at  no  place  a  great  dis¬ 
tance  above  the  coal,  and  locally  cuts  down  into  the  black  shale  and 
rests  upon  the  coal.  In  the  vicinity  of  Wesley  the  sandstone  in  places 
cuts  out  the  coal  entirely,  just  as  it  does  in  Hollis  Township  in  Peoria 
County. 

The  section  between  No.  5  and  No.  6  coals  is  composed  largely 
of  sandstone  and  sandy  shale,  the  interval  between  the  two  coals  being 
about  60  feet. 

No.  6  coal  in  western  Tazewell  County  is  irregular  in  thickness. 
As  shown  by  the  following  sections1  it  is  in  some  places  over  4  feet  and 
in  others  less  than  1 J4  feet. 

lUdden,  J.  A.,  Geology  and  mineral  resources  of  the  Peoria  quadrangle, 
Ill.:  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  Bull.  506,  pp.  45-46,  1912. 


TAZEWELL  COUNTY 


231 


Section  in  the  north  bank  of  creek,  one-fourth  mile  southwest 
of  the  KE.  cor.  sec.  2U,  Pekin  Township 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Shale,  light  gray .  1 

Limestone,  thinning  rapidly  to  east .  2 

Shale,  “white  top” .  6 

Coal,  thinning  rapidly  to  east  (No.  6) .  1  6 

Fire  clay  .  3 

Shale,  arenaceous  .  15 


*  23 

Section  in  west  bank  of  Lick  Creek,  near  junction  of  its  two  forks, 

Sec.  25,  Pekin  Township 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Sandstone  .  4 

Sandstone,  shaly  .  6 

Limestone,  discontinuous  .  1 

Shale,  “white  top” .  1  6 

Coal,  No.  6 .  2  6 

Fire  clay,  with  dark  ferruginous  band  near  middle .  3  6 

Shale,  gray  .  2  6 

Sandstone  in  somewhat  shattered  beds .  3 

Shale,  light  bluish-gray,  arenaceous .  23 


47 

Section  in  west  bank  of  Lick  Creek,  near  ivagon  bridge,  in  NW. 

cor.  Sec.  31,  Groveland  Township 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Shale,  light  gray .  6 

Clay,  structureless  residuum  firm .  1  2 

Shale,  dark  fissile,  with  gray  discontinuous  laminations .  1 

Coal  .  2  9 

Clay  . .  2 

Coal,  with  lenses  of  pyrite  near  middle . • .  1  6 

Fire  clay,  greenish  gray .  4 


16  7 

Careful  drilling  in  the  area  underlain  by  No.  6  coal  may  discover 
areas  in  which  the  coal  is  as  much  as  4  feet  thick.  LTowever,  just  as 
in  southern  Peoria  County,  this  coal  very  commonly  is  overlain  by  a 
loose,  incoherent,  grayish  shale  called  “white  top”  which  is  very  hard 
to  hold  and  which  makes  mining  very  expensive,  and  also  cuts  out  a 
considerable  proportion  of  the  bed.  The  “white  top”  roof  has  been 
described  in  greater  detail  in  the  discussion  of  the  coal  resources  of 
Peoria  County. 


232 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


MC  LEANSBORO  FORMATION 

So  far  as  known,  the  rocks  of  the  McLeansboro  formation  are 
restricted  in  this  county  to  a  small  area  between  Pekin  and  East  Peoria. 
They  include  No.  7  coal,  which  has  a  thickness  of  14  to  18  inches 
and  lies  about  30  to  35  feet  above  No.  6  coal. 

The  lower  part  of  the  formation  which  constitutes  the  roof  of 
No.  6  coal  is  normally  dark  fissile  shale,  1  to  3  feet  thick,  or  gray  shale 
called  “white  top.”  Commonly  the  black  or  gray  shale  is  overlain  by 
limestone  cap-rock,  1  to  4  or  5  feet  in  thickness.  Marly  or  calcareous 

r 

shale  overlies  the  limestone  and  grades  upward  into  sandy  shale  or 
sandstone,  which  continues  nearly  to  No.  7  coal.  No.  7  coal  is  under¬ 
lain  by  a  few  feet  of  underclay  and  shale. 

The  McLeansboro  formation  seems  to  have  been  eroded  down  to 
some  horizon  below  the  Lonsdale  limestone,  which  lies  near  the  top  of 
the  section  on  the  west  side  of  the  river. 

Minable  Coals  of  Tazewell  County 

The  coals  in  Tazewell  County  which  at  present  are  of  commercial 
importance  are  probably  only  No.  2  and  No.  5,  and  of  these  only  No.  5 
is  being  worked.  Very  little  is  known  about  No.  2,  but  its  persistence 
throughout  the  northern  part  of  the  State  is  a  basis  for  inferring  its 
presence  in  this  area.  No.  7  coal  is  apparently  too  thin  to  mine  at 
present  and  No.  6  unsatisfactory  because  of  its  irregular  character  and 
poor  roof.  Any  statement  in  regard  to  the  occurrence  and  distribu¬ 
tion  of  No.  1  coal  and  the  possible  existence  of  coals  between  No.  1 
and  No.  2  is  pure  speculation.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  interest  is 
mainly  in  No.  2  and  No.  5  coals. 

no.  2  coal 

No.  2  coal  is  mined  extensively  in  the  Longwall  District  and  is 
found  in  the  northern  and  central  portions  of  the  Illinois  coal  field 
wherever  shafts  or  bore  holes  have  been  sunk  to  its  horizon.  Com¬ 
monly  the  seam  is  about  30  inches  thick,  with  a  good  soapstone  roof, 
which  is  excellently  suited  for  Longwall  methods  of  mining.  As  a  rule 
it  has  no  seriously  detrimental  impurities  and  is  of  slightly  better  qual¬ 
ity  than  higher  beds  in  the  same  locality.  It  is  believed  that  this  coal 
is  generally  present  in  this  county,  but  it  has  never  been  worked. 

no.  5  coal 

There  are  several  operations  in  No.  5  coal  in  Tazewell  County 
along  the  bluff  of  the  Illinois  between  East  Peoria  and  Pekin.  The 


TAZEWELL  COUNTY 


233 


coal  has  the  same  general  characteristics  as  the  seam  in  the  Peoria 
district,  described  in  the  section  on  that  county.  The  distribution  of 
the  coal  is  limited  on  the  west  by  the  Illinois  valley,  and  in  the  other 
directions  by  pre-glacial  or  interglacial  erosion.  The  rock  surface 
slopes  rather  abruptly  to  the  north  at  Farm  Creek,  so  that  it  probably 
passes  below  the  level  of  the  coal ;  and  although  it  slopes  somewhat 
less  abruptly  to  the  east  and  south,  still  the  grade  is  sufficient  to  cause 
the  rock  surface  of  the  central  and  eastern  parts  of  the  county  also  to 
be  probably  largely  below  the  horizon  of  No.  5  coal. 

The  coal  in  the  East  Peoria  region  is  locally  interrupted  by  sand¬ 
stone  “faults”  especially  in  the  vicinity  of  Wesley.  These  sandstone 
“faults”  are  thought  by  the  writer  to  be  the  filling  of  channels  cut  into 
the  peat  deposit  shortly  after  its  deposition.  In  part  of  the  area  this 
same  body  of  sandstone  lies  but  a  short  distance  above  the  coal,  the 
base  of  it  forming  the  roof  of  the  coal  in  the  places  where  the  shale 
roof  which  is  generally  present  has  been  eroded. 

Mine  Notes 

The  following  detailed  description  of  conditions  in  a  few  of  the 
Tazewell  County  mines  will  serve  to  set  forth  the  general  character  of 
the  coal  and  of  the  mining  conditions  in  this  area. 

GROVELAND  COAL  MINING  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  1,  AT  EAST  PEORIA 

Entrance:  Shaft;  depth  to  No.  5  coal,  85  feet. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  3  feet  to  4  feet  8  inches;  averages 
4  feet  4  inches. 

Sections  of  the  coal: 

Sections  of  No.  5  coal  in  Mine  No.  1  of  the  Groveland  Coal 

Mining  Company 

Section  1 — Room  1  off  3d  stub  off  the  6th  east  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 

Roof:  Black  fissile  shale . 

Coal  with  thin  streaks  of  clay  and  mother  coal .  4  3 

Floor:  Underclay  . 


4  3 

Section  2 — Room  6  off  the  10th  east  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in 


Coal  .  1  5 

Pyrite  (brown  “sulphur”)  .  1% 

Coal  .  2  1014 


4  5 


234 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


Character  of  the  coal:  The  coal  lies  as  a  single  bench  without  per¬ 
sistent  partings.  The  thin  bands  of  clay  and  mother  coal,  generally 
present  in  the  face,  are  rarely  more  than  14  inch  in  thickness,  are  not 
persistent  at  any  one  place,  and  not  very  important  as  impurities.  On 
the  east  side  of  the  mine  pyrite  bands  of  “brown  sulphur”  are  commonly 
found  near  the  horsebacks.  These  are  generally  about  IV2  inches  thick 
and  may  be  4  to  5  feet  in  length.  They  appear  to  be  intimate  interlamina¬ 
tions  of  pyrite  and  carbonaceous  material. 

The  coal  is  practically  uniform  in  thickness,  the  only  departures  from 
uniformity  being  near  the  “horsebacks”  or  clay  slips.  Where  these  frac¬ 
tures  occur  the  coal  is  usually  slightly  displaced,  the  bed  on  one  side  of 
the  fracture  being  somewhat  lower  than  it  is  on  the  other  (see  fig.  30). 


0 _ 1 _ 2 _ 3 _ 4 

Scale  in  feet 

Fig  30. — Sketch  of  a  “horseback”  in  No.  5  coal  in  the  Groveland  Coal 
Mining  Company’s  No.  1  mine  at  East  Peoria. 


Commonly  the  fracture  is  at  a  fairly  acute  angle  with  the  horizon  of  the 
bed,  so  that  the  roof  on  the  downthrow  side  is  much  nearer  the  fioor  than 
under  normal  conditions.  Similarly,  the  floor  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
fracture  is  nearer  the  roof  than  usual.  However,  the  floor  does  not  com¬ 
monly  rise  as  high  as  the  roof  is  down-faulted,  there  apparently  being 
some  compensation  either  in  the  coal  or  in  the  adjacent  strata.  These 
phenomena  in  the  roof  and  floor  are  spoken  of  as  “rolls.” 

The  coal  on  the  east  side  of  the  mine  is  badly  fractured,  but  the 
fractures  are  not  so  generally  filled  with  clay  as  they  are  elsewhere. 
Instead,  pyrite-filled  cracks,  called  “spar”  by  miners,  are  the  common 


TAZEWELL  COUNTY 


235 


thing.  Although  rarely  more  than  M  inch  thick,  they  are  very  hard  to 
drill  so  that  the  miners  do  not  like  to  work  in  the  part  of  the  mine  where 
they  are  common.  Furthermore,  there  are  cracks  (“blind  slips”)  which 
penetrate  the  coal  and  pass  up  into  the  roof  but  in  a  fresh  face  are  not 
discernable,  and  which  produce  an  extremely  treacherous  roof  that  is 
practically  impossible  to  control. 

Character  of  the  roof:  Incidental  to  the  preceding  description  of  the 
coal  some  mention  has  been  made  of  certain  difficulties  encountered  in 
the  roof  of  this  mine.  Other  characteristics  may  be  mentioned. 

The  massive  sandstone  which  lies  a  short  distance  above  the  coal 
throughout  much  of  this  area  as  well  as  the  area  south  of  Peoria  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Illinois,  is  exposed  above  the  coal  in  a  number  of  places 
in  this  mine.  The  sandstone  has  a  very  irregular  base  and  accordingly 
lies  at  various  heights  above  the  coal,  in  places  very  close  to  the  bed  or 
even  resting  on  it.  Apparently  there  are  no  places  where  the  sandstone 
cuts  out  the  coal,  though  this  condition  is  reported  to  have  existed  in  an 
old  mine  a  short  distance  to  the  north. 

The  usual  roof  is  black  shale,  8  to  14  inches  thick,  with  clod  and 
limestone  above.  The  lower  2  inches  of  black  shale  or  “slate”  is  called 
“draw  slate.”  This  is  commonly  “frozen”  to  the  coal.  The  break  that 
takes  place  in  mining  near  the  top  of  the  bed  commonly  occurs  an  inch 
or  two  below  the  slate.  If  the  break  occurs  in  the  slate  so  that  the  “draw 
slate”  parts  from  the  overlying  shale,  the  material  that  is  left  lacks  co¬ 
herence  and  is  difficult  to  keep.  In  this  mine  when  the  “draw  slate” 
comes  down  it  is  soon  followed  by  all  the  rest  of  the  material  up  to  the 
sandstone.  In  some  localities  in  the  mine  this  means  as  much  as  20  feet 
of  material. 

The  so-called  cap-rock  is  a  layer  of  fossiliferous  gray  limestone  2  to 
8  inches  thick  which  in  places  is  hard  but  more  commonly  is  shaly,  with  no 
supporting  strength.  The  clod  lying  between  the  black  shale  and  the 
“cap-rock”  is  a  massive,  dark  gray,  loosely  coherent  shale,  about  14  inches 
thick,  that  falls  readily.  Overlying  the  cap-rock  is  a  gray  shale  which 
continues  up  to  the  sandstone  a  distance  of  about  18  feet  or  less. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  floor  is  underclay.  No  unusual  char¬ 
acteristics  other  than  the  rolls  associated  with  the  horsebacks  were  noted. 

JOHNSTON  CITY  BIG  MUDDY  COAL  AND  MINING  COMPANY’S 

NO.  3  MINE,  AT  PEKIN. 

Entrance:  Shaft;  depth  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal  205  feet. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Reported  to  average  4  feet  8  inches. 

Character  of  the  coal:  The  following  description  is  based  upon  in¬ 
formation  obtained  from  the  mine  manager.  The  coal  has  not  been  seen 
by  a  Survey  member. 

The  coal  lies  in  a  single  bed,  without  benches.  The  few  discontinuous 
bands  of  “sulphur’’  near  the  horsebacks  and  the  little  hard  pyrite  balls 
and  lenses,  are  said  to  be  too  infrequent  to  seriously  damage  the  coal. 
Horsebacks  are  fairly  numerous  and  their  removal  entails  considerable 
waste. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  roof  succession  consists  of  6  to  12  inches 
of  black  shale,  called  “slate,’’  which  sticks  to  the  coal  so  that  presumably 


236 


COAL  RESOURCES  OF  DISTRICT  IV 


either  a  few  inches  of  coal  is  left  in  the  roof  or  some  of  the  shale  comes 
down  with  the  coal.  Above  the  black  shale  is  about  12  inches  of  clod,  above 
which  there  is  commonly  6  to  8  inches  of  limestone.  This,  however,  is 
locally  absent.  A  thick  bed  of  shale  overlies  the  limestone. 

Character  of  the  floor:  Underclay  about  18  inches  thick.  Below 
the  clay  is  12  inches  of  limestone  which  in  turn  is  underlain  by  more  clay. 

The  general  characteristics  of  the  coal  in  this  mine  are  probably 
very  similar  to  those  of  the  coal  in  the  Tazewell  Coal  Company’s  mine 
which  is  operated  on  an  adjacent  property. 

TAZEWELL  COAL  COMPANY’S  MINE  NO.  1,  AT  PEKIN 

Entrance:  Shaft;  162  feet  to  the  top  of  No.  5  coal. 

Thickness  of  coal:  Varies  from  about  4  feet  to  about  4  feet  10  inches; 
averages  4  feet  8  inches. 

Sections  of  the  coal: 

Sections  of  No.  5  coal  in  mine  of  the  Tazewell  Coal  Company 
Section  1 — Face  of  second  entry  off  main  south 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Black  slate . 

Coal,  fairly  clean  .  1  5% 

Pyrite  .  M 

Coal,  clean  and  bright  .  1  HV2 

Bone  .  V2 

Coal,  fairly  clean  .  9 


4  3 

Section  2 — Face  of  room  5,  1st  stub,  12th  east  off  south  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Black  shale  . 

Coal,  left  up .  3  to  4 

Coal,  clean  . . .  114 

Mother  coal  and  pyrite  . - .  % 

Coal,  very  dirty  .  4  1 

Floor:  Underclay  . 


4  6 


Section  3 — Face  of  room  16,  first  stub  east,  8th  south  off  east  entry 

Thickness 
Ft.  in. 


Roof:  Black  slate  . 

Coal,  slean,  bright  .  1  214 

Pyrite  lens  .  2V2 

Coal,  clean,  bright  .  8 

Mother  coal,  soft  .  Vz 

Coal,  fairly  clean  and  bright .  2  3!4 

Floor:  Underclay  . . 


4 


5 


TAZEWELL  COUNTY 


237 


Character  of  the  coal :  The  coal  lies  in  a  single  bed  with  no  benches, 
but  contains  discontinuous  streaks  of  clay  and  mother  coal,  and  near  the 
horsebacks  or  clay  slips  lenses  of  pyrite  are  common.  There  is  some  cal- 
cite  along  the  joints  faces.  “Horsebacks”  are  numerous  and  commonly 
so  impregnated  with  pyrite  that  they  are  very  hard.  Fig.  31  is  a  repro¬ 
duction  of  a  sketch  of  a  horseback.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  clay  vein 
plays  out  in  the  overlying  shale  into  a  number  of  cracks  and  that  the 
underclay  has  been  squeezed  a  short  distance  upward  into  the  fracture. 
At  the  veins  the  cap-rock  commonly  shows  a  slight  displacement.  The 


Fig.  31. — Sketch  of  a  “horseback”  in  No.  5  coal  in  the  Tazewell  Coal  Com¬ 
pany’s  No.  1  mine  at  Pekin. 

side  of  the  fracture  in  the  coal  is  generally  irregular,  but  also  commonly 
shows  “smooths”  or  slickensides. 

Character  of  the  roof:  The  immediate  roof  is  dark  shale  or  “slate,” 
8  to  12  inches  thick,  which  commonly  sticks  to  the  coal,  so  that  either  the 
upper  2  or  3  inches  of  coal  is  left  up  or  the  lower  2  or  3  inches  or  more  of 
the  shale  comes  away  with  the  coal.  This  makes  no  particular  difficulty. 
About  12  inches  of  clod  lies  between  rhe  black  shale  and  the  cap-rock.  The 
latter  is  a  limestone  which  is  solid  only  locally  and  then  is  about  8  inches 
thick. 

Character  of  the  floor:  The  underclay  is  about  12  inches  thick.  It 
becomes  hard  12  inches  below  the  coal,  but  the  upper  part  heaves  badly  in 
the  air,  and  especially  wnen  it  is  wet. 


1 


■ 


INDEX 


A  PAGE 

Abingdon,  description  of  mine 

at  . 115-116 

Acknowledgments  . 9-11 

Albert  Walburg’s  mine,  de¬ 
scription  of  .  115 

Alden  Coal  Company,  mines 
No.  5  and  No.  6,  descrip¬ 
tion  of . 59,  91-92 

Analyses  of  coals  from  mines 

in  District  IV . 45-55 

Illinois  coals  by  districts...  56 

Andrew,  description  of  mine  at  220 

Assumption,  Carlinville  lime¬ 
stone  at .  44 

correlation  of  coal  near.  ...  30 

New  Haven  limestone  at.  .  .  .  44 

No.  7  and  No.  8  coals  near.  43 

Astoria,  description  of  mine 

near  . 92-93 

Astoria  Woodland  Coal  Com¬ 
pany,  abandoned  mine,  de¬ 
scription  of  . 92-93 

Athens,  description  of  mine 

at  . 151-154 

Atlanta,  log  of  well  at.  .  .  .117-118 

B 

Barclay  Coal  Company’s  mine, 

description  of  .  216 

Barclay,  description  of  mine 

at  .  216 

Bartonville,  description  of 

mines  near . 193-195 

log  of  mine  shaft  at .  158 

Berry  Brothers’  mine,  descrip¬ 
tion  of . 184-185 

Big  Creek  Coal  Company,  mine 

No  2,  description  of. 59,  93-94 

Bissell  Coal  Company’s  mine, 

description  of . 60,  223 

Bissell,  description  of  mine  at  223 

Bloomington,  description  of 

mine  at . 133-138 

logs  of  shafts  at . 128-129 

Bloomington  Coal  Company, 
log  of  shaft  of .  128 

Bloomington  moraine,  descrip¬ 
tion  of .  14 


PAGE 

“Blue  Fly”  mine,  see  Hoff¬ 
man's  mine 

Blue  Mound,  Carlinville  lime¬ 
stone  at .  43 

description  of  mine  at .  147 

log  of  boring  near . 26-29 

No.  7  and  No.  8  coals  near.  43 

Blue  Mound  Coal  Company’s 

mine,  description  of .  147 

Bluff  Springs,  section  of  Penn¬ 
sylvanian  strata  near. ...  63 

“Boulders”  in  No.  5  coal.  ..  .88-90 

Brereton,  “boulder”  in  mine  at  88 

Brimfield,  description  of  mine 

at  . 184-185 

Bryant,  description  of  mines 

at  .  1C4 

C 

Canton  Coal  Mining  Company, 

No.  1  mine . 59,95 

Canton,  description  of  mines 

near  . 95-96,  101,  104 

No.  6  coal  near .  84 

Canton  shale  member . 78-79 

Can^rall,  description  of  mine 

at  . 216-217 

Carbondale  formation,  descrip¬ 
tion  of . 31-37 

Peoria  County . 160-176 

principal  coals  of .  31 

Sangamon  County  . 205-207 

Savage’s  section  of .  33 

thickness  of . 31,  35 

Worthen’s  section  of .  32 

Carlinville  limestone  . 43-44 

outcrop  of,  in  Macon  County  139 

Case  Coal  Company,  see  M.  E. 

Case  Coal  Company 

Cass  County,  coal  resources 

of  . 62—66 

geology  of . 62-65 

log  of  boring  in . 63-64 

No.  2  coal  in . 65-66 

production  of  coal  in .  62 

section  of  Pennsylvanian 

strata  in  .  63 

structure  of .  65 


239 


240 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Channel  sandstones  . 

. 163,  165-175,  230 

Chemical  character  of  coals. 45-56 

Chester  group . 18,  30 

Chillicothe,  description  of  mine 

at  . 181-182 

No.  7  coal  near .  181 

Christian  County,  chemical 

character  of  coals  of... 46,  54 
coal  resources  of .  67 

Citizens  Coal  Mining  Com¬ 
pany,  log  of  shaft  of.  .119-120 
Mine  “A.”  description  of. 61,  217 
Lincoln  (Citizens)  mine,  de¬ 
scription  of . 59,  123 

Clark  Coal  and  Coke  Company, 
Empire  No.  2  mine,  de¬ 
scription  of . 60,  191-193 

Clinton,  coals  near .  75 

log  of  boring  near . 71-72 

thickness  of  drift  at .  68 

Coal-bearing  rocks  of  District 

IV . 17-44 

Coals  below  No.  1  coal .  26 

Colfax  Coal  Company  (C.  H. 

H.  Fisher),  Colfax  mine, 
description  of . 60,  132-133 

Collier  Cooperative  Coal  Com¬ 
pany,  No.  1  mine,  descrip¬ 
tion  of  . 60,  194-195 

Crescent  Coal  Company,  No.  1 

mine,  description  of . 

. 60,  193-194 

Crew  Brothers’  mine,  descrip¬ 
tion  of . 181-182 

Cripple  Creek  Coal  Company, 
mines  at  Bryant,  descrip¬ 
tion  of  . 59,  104 

Crows  Mill  limestone. .  .20,  43,  208 

Cuba,  description  of  mine  at 

.  96-97,  100-101 

log  of  boring  near . 81-82 

No.  6  coal  near .  84 

unconformity  in  Carbondale 
near  .  33 

D 

Dahinda,  log  of  boring  near.  .  112 

Danville  District,  average  an¬ 
alyses  of  coals  in .  56 

Dawson  Coal  Company’s  mine, 

description  of . 61,  216 


PAGE 

Dawson,  description  of  mine  at  216 
Decatur,  Carlinville  limestone 

at  .  43 

depth  of  No.  6  coal  at .  139 

description  of  mine  at..  146-147 

log  of  air  shaft  at . 140-142 

New  Haven  limestone  at.  .  . .  44 

No.  7  and  No.  8  coals  near.  43 

Devonian,  distribution  of .  18 

DeWitt  County,  coal  resources 

of  . 68-75 

geology  of . 69-74 

glacial  deposits  in  .  68 

logs  of  borings  in . 69-73 

No.  9  coal  and  associated 

strata  in  .  44 

structure  of  .  74 

District  IV,  geography  of...  11-15 

importance  of  .  9 

interval  between  No.  7  and 

No.  8  coals  in .  43 

production  of  coal  in .  9 

rock  formations  of . 17-44 

shipping  mines  in . 59-61 

District  VII,  Carlinville  lime¬ 
stone  in .  44 

interval  between  No.  7  and 

No.  8  coals  in .  43 

Divernon,  Carlinville  limestone 

at  .  43 

No.  7  and  No.  8  coals  near.  43 
Drift,  gas  wells  associated 

with  .* .  68 

relation  of  to  mining  opera¬ 
tions  . 14,  179-180 

thickness  of.  .  .11-14,  68,  76, 
106-107,  127, 139,  148,  204,  226 

Drill  records,  use  of . 15-16 

E 

Eagle  Mining  Company,  Can¬ 
ton  mine,  description  of.  . 
.  59,  95-96 

East  Cuba  Coal  Mining  Com¬ 
pany,  mine  No.  1,  descrip¬ 
tion  of . 96-97 

East  Mapleton  Coal  Company, 
“East”  mine,  description 

of  . . 60,  199 

East  Peoria,  channel  sand¬ 
stones  near  .  173 

description  of  mine  at.  .233-235 
McLeansboro  formation  at.  232 

No.  2  coal  at .  229 

No.  5  coal  at .  230 

No.  7  coal  at .  232 


INDEX 


241 


PAGE 


Edinburg,  No.  5  coal  at .  67 

Ellisville,  No.  1  coal  at .  80 

Elmwood,  No.  6  coal  at .  182 


Etherly,  log  of  boring  near.  .  .  Ill 


F 


Fairview,  dome  near .  83 

Farmer  City,  coals  near .  75 

log  of  boring  at . 69-70 

thickness  of  drift  at .  68 


Farmington,  description  of 

mines  near. .91-92,  97-98,  102 

“Faults,”  see  Channel  sand¬ 
stones 

Fire  clay  below  No.  1  coal.  .20,  202 

Fiatt,  anticlinal  structure  near  83 
description  of  mine  at.  . .  .99-100 


log  of  boring  near . 81-82 

Floor  of  No.  5  coal,  Fulton 

County  .  89 

Peoria  County .  191 


see  also  Mine  notes  for  the 
various  coals 


Franklin  County,  average  an¬ 
alyses  of  coals  in .  56 

Frederick,  No.  2  coal  at .  225 

Fulton  County,  Carbondale 

formation  in .  33 

chemical  character  of  coals 

of . 46-48,  54 

coal  resources  of . 76-105 

geology  of . 76-82 

glacial  drift  in  .  76 

log  of  boring  in . 81-82 

Lonsdale  limestone  in .  42 

mine  notes  from . 91-104 

No.  1  coal  in . 30,  104-105 

No.  2  coal  in . 104-105 

No.  5  coal  in . 34,  87-91 

No.  6  coal  in . 84-87 

No.  7  coal  in .  42 

oil  and  gas  possibilities  in. 83-84 

production  of  coal  in .  76 

shipping  mines  in . 59,  76 

structure  of . 82-84 

variegated  shale  below  No. 

7  coal  in .  41 

Fusulina,  see  Girtyina  ventri- 
cosa 

G 


Galena-Platteville,  distribution 

of  .  18 

Gallatin  County,  Carlinville 

limestone  in  .  43 


PAGE 

Galva,  log  of  boring  southeast 

of  . . 113-114 

Galva  Mining  Company’s  mine, 

description  of  .  116 

Gas  wells  in  drift .  68 

Genuine  Norris  Coal  Mining  Com- 
panv,  No.  1  mine,  descrip¬ 
tion  of  . 59,  103-104 

Girtyina  ventricosa  . 

. 21,  78,  133,  177,  207 

Glacial  moraines,  distribution 

of  . 11-14 

Glasford,  description  of  mines 

near  . 186,  199 

Grady  farm,  log  of  well  on.  142-143 

Grout,  F.  F.,  assistance  of.  .  .  11 

Groveland  Coal  Mining  Com¬ 
pany,  mine  No.  1,  descrip¬ 
tion  of . 61,  233-235 

Groveland,  No.  5  coal  at .  230 

No.  6  coal  at .  231 

H 

Hallsville,  thickness  of  drift  at  68 

Hanna,  description  of  mines 

near  . 186,  191 

Henderson  Township,  logs  of 

borings  in . 108-109 

Hoffman’s  mine,  description  of 

. 60,  201-202 

log  of  shaft  of . 156 

Horseback  in  No.  5  coal . 

..88-90,  187-189,  210-213,  225 
origin  of . 212-213 

J 

John  D.  Young’s  mine,  de¬ 
scription  of  . 115-116 

Johnston  City  Big  Muddy  Coal 
and  Mining  Company,  No. 

3  mine,  description  of.  .  .  . 
. 61,  235-236 

K 


Kay,  F.  IT.,  assistance  of .  11 

Kenney,  thickness  of  drift  at.  68 

Keys,  anticlinal  structure  near  209 
description  of  mine  at .  223 

Kickapoo  Creek,  No.  6  coal 

along  .  182 

section  of  rocks  along .  165  • 

thickness  of  drift  along.  . .  .  179 


242 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Knox  County,  chemical  char¬ 


acter  of  coals  of .  49 

coal  resources  of . 106-116 

drift  in  .  106 

geology  of . 107-115 

logs  of  borings  in . 

_ 108-109,  111,  112,  113-114 

mine  notes  from . 115-116 

production  of  coal  in .  106 

shipping  mines  in .  106 

Knoxville,  description  of  mine 

at  .  115 

No.  6  coal  near .  107 


L 

Lamarsh  Creek,  channel  sand¬ 
stones  near  .  173 

La  Salle  anticline . 35,  57 

La  Salle  District,  average  an¬ 
alyses  of  coals  in .  56 

“La  Salle"  formation,  see  Car- 
bondale  formation 

La  Salle  limestone .  43 

La  Salle,  log  of  boring  at.  .  .  .  131 

Latham  Lincoln  Coal  Com- 
panv’s  mine,  description 
of  . 59,  123-126 

Leitner  Coal  Company’s  mine, 

channel  sandstones  in.  166-171 
No.  1  mine,  description  of.  . 
. 60,  197-198 

Lick  Creek,  No.  6  coal  outcrop 

on  .  231 

Limestone  above  No.  6  coal.  .  .  41 

Lincoln,  description  of  mine 

at  . 123-126 

log  of  boring  near . 120-121 

log  of  shaft  at . 119-120 

Littleton,  No.  2  coal  at .  225 

Loyd,  log  of  shaft  of  coal  mine 

at  .  150 

Logan  Coal  Company,  No.  1 

mine,  description  of... 60,  191 

Logan  County,  chemical  char¬ 
acter  of  coals  of . 49,  54 

coal  resources  of . 117-126 

description  of  drift  in..  117-119 

logs  of  wells  in . 

. 117-118,  119-122 

mine  notes  from . 123-126 

production  of  coal  in .  117 

shipping  mines  of . 59,  117 


PAGE 

Longwall  district,  average  an¬ 
alyses  of  coals  in .  56 

character  of  McLeansboro 
formation  in . 40-41 

Lonsdale  limestone  .  . .  .42,  77,  178 
correlation  of  with  Rock 
Creek  limestone  .  207 

Lovington,  Carlinville  lime¬ 
stone  at .  44 

depth  of  No.  6  coal  at .  139 

New  Haven  limestone  at.  .  .  .  44 

No.  7  and  No.  8  coals  near.  .  43 

Lower  Mississippian,  distribu¬ 
tion  of .  18 

Lvnn  Township,  log  of  boring 

in  . 113-114 

M 

McLean  County,  character  of 
McLeansboro  formation  in 

. . 36,  41 

chemical  character  of  coals 

of . 49—50,  54 

coal  resources  of . 127-138 

geology  of . 127-132 

identification  of  coals  near.  132 

logs  of  borings  in . 128-131 

Lonsdale  limestone  in .  42 

mine  notes  . 132-138 

No.  7  coal  in .  42 

No.  9  coal  and  associated 

strata  in  .  44 

production  of  coal  in .  127 

section  of  strata  between 
No.  2  and  No.  5  coals.  .  .  .  136 

shipping  mines  in . 60,  127 

thickness  of  Carbondale  for¬ 
mation  in  .  35 

J  hickness  of  drift  in .  127 

McLean  County  Coal  Com¬ 
pany.  log  of  shaft  of.  .128-129 
description  of  mine  of..  133-138 

McLeansboro  formation  . 

. 176-179,  207-208,  232 

general  description  of . 37—44 

Macon  County,  Carlinville 

limestone  in  .  139 

character  of  McLeansboro 

formation  in . 36,  38 

chemical  character  of  coals 

of  . 50,  54,  55 

coal  resources  of . 139-148 

geology  of  . 139-144 

logs  of  borings  in . 

. 26-29,  140-144 


INDEX 


243 


PAGE 

mine  notes  . 145-147 

No.  9  coal  and  associated 

strata  in .  44 

production  of  coal  in .  139 

shipping  mines  in . 60,  139 

thickness  of  Carbondale  for¬ 
mation  in  .  35 

thickness  of  drift  in .  139 


thickness  of  Pottsville  in...  31 

thinning  of  No.  6  coal  in.  . .  140 

Macon  County  Coal  Company’s 

mine,  description  of . 

. 60,  146-147 

Macoupin  County,  Carlinville 

limestone  in  .  43 

Maple^on,  channel  sandstones 

near  . . .  173 

description  of  mines  at.  .198-199 

Mapleton  Coal  Company,  No. 

1  mine,  description  of.  198-199 

Maplewood  Coal  Company,  No. 

1  mine,  description  of.. 59,  97 

Maplewood  Colliery  Company, 

No.  2  mine,  description 
of . 59,  97-98 

Maquoketa  shale,  distribution 

of  .  18 

Markets  for  District  IV  coal.  15 

Maroa,  Carlinville  limestone  at  43 

log  of  well  near . 142-143 

thickness  of  drift  at .  68 

Mason  CiJy,  drill  hole  at .  148 

Mason  Countv,  coal  resources 

of  . 148 

M.  E.  Case  Coal  Company,  No. 

1  (Walben)  mine,  descrip¬ 
tion  of  . 60,  195-197 

channel  sandstones  near.  .  .  173 

Mechanicsburg,  description  of 

mine  at .  218 

No.  6  coal  at .  214 


Mechanicsburg  Coal  Com¬ 
pany’s  mine  .  218 


Menard  County,  coal  resources 


of  . 149-154 

geology  of  . 149-150 

log  of  shaft  in .  150 

mine  notes  from  . 150-154 

mines  in  .  149 

production  of  coal  in .  149 

shipping  mines  in  .  60 


page 

Middleton  Coal  Company,  Mid¬ 
dleton  mine,  description 

of  . 59,  101 

Middletown  Coal  Company’s 
mine  at  Middleton,  de¬ 
scription  of  . 150-151 

Mines  in  District  IV . 59-61 

Mine  Notes: 

No.  2  coal.  McLean  County. 

. . .  133-135 

Peoria  County . 200-202 

No.  5  coal,  Fulton  County.  . 

. ‘  91-104 

Knox  County  . 115-116 

McLean  County . 135-138 

Macon  County . 145-147 

Menard  County . 150-154 

Peoria  County . 191-199 

Sangamon  County ....  216-223 

Tazewell  County . 233-237 

No.  6?  coal,  McLean  Countv 

. 132-133 

No.  6  coal,  Macon  County.  .  147 

Peoria  County  . . 184-186 

No.  7  coal,  Peoria  County.. 

.  181-182 

Mississippian  system  .  30 

Monmouth  Coal  Company, 
mine  No.  1,  “boulder”  in 

floor  of  .  88 

description  of . 59,  98-99 

Morgan  Countv,  log  of  boring 

in  . ..  ... . 66 

Morris  well,  log  of .  73 

Moses,  Thomas,  assistance  of.  11 

Mt.  Pulaski,  log  of  shaft  at..  122 
Mt.  Pulaski  Colliery  Com¬ 
pany’s  mine  at  Mt.  Pul¬ 


aski,  description  of .  126 

Murphysboro  district,  average 

analyses  of  coals  in .  56 

N 


National  Coal  Mining  Com¬ 
pany,  Farming-ton  mine, 

description  of  .  102 

New  Haven  limestone .  .20,  44,  139 

Newsam  Brothers,  No.  4  mine 

. . ....60,  199 

Niagaran  limestone,  distribu¬ 
tion  of .  18 

Niantic  Carbon  Coal  Com- 
panv’s  mine,  description 

of . 60,  145-146 

shaft  log  of  . 143-144 


244 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Niantic,  Carlinville  limestone 


at  .  43 

depth  of  No.  6  coal  at .  139 


description  of  mine  at..  145-146 
No.  7  and  No.  8  coals  near.  43 
Shoal  Creek  limestone  at...  139 

“Niggerheads,”  association  of 

with  No.  5  coal .  213 


Norris,  descrintion  of  mines 

at . 92,  98-99,  103-104 

No.  1  coal,  chemical  character 

of  . 46,  54,  56 

in  District  IV . 25-26, 

76,  80-81,  107,  140,  202,  225 

limestone  above .  30 

roof  of . 80-81,  105 

No.  2  coal,  chemical  character 

of . 46,  49,  50,  52,  54,  56 

in  District  IV . 

. 30,  65-66,  75,  76, 

80,  107,  114-115,  140,  148, 

149,  161,  199-200,  225,  228,  232 
mine  notes  for.  133-135,  200-202 
roof  of. .  .105,  161,  200,  232,  244 
section  of  strata  above  in 
McLean  County  .  136 

No.  3  coal . 32,  76 

No.  4  coal . 32,  107 

No.  5  coal,  “boulders”  in.... 88-90 
characteristics  of  in  Sanga¬ 
mon  County .  210 

chemical  character  of . 

. 46-49,  50,  54,  56 

comparison  of  with  No.  6 

coal  . 84-86 

floor  of  .  89 

horsebacks  in . 88-90 

in  District  IV.  .  .  .34,  75,  76, 
78-79,  87-91,  107,  114,  144, 
148,149,  161-163,  186-191, 
206-207,  210-213,  225,  232-233 

irregularities  in  . 187-191 

mine  notes  for . 115- 

116,  135-138,  145-147,  150- 
154.  191-199,  216-223,  233-237 
roof  of.  .  .67,  78,  79,  87,  163, 
188-191,  213,  225,  230-231,  233 

“rolls”  in  . 88-90 

section  of  strata  below .  136 

structure  of  .  57 

thickness  of . 186-187 

unconformity  of  with  No.  6 
coal  . 78-79 


PAGE 

No.  6  coal,  chemical  character 

of  . 

49,  50,  51,  52,  53,  55,  56,  84-85 
comparison  of  with  No.  5 

coal  . 84-86 

difficulties  of  working  in  Pe¬ 
oria  County  .  182 

in  District  IV . 

. 35,  37,  76,  77-79,  84- 

87,  107,  114,  149,  175,  182- 
184,  206-207,  214,  230-231,  232 

mine  notes  for . 

. 132-133,  147,  184-186 

roof  of  . 176-177,  182-183 

thinning  of  in  Macon  County  140 
unconformity  of  with  No.  5 

coal  . 78-79 

No.  7  coal,  chemical  character 

of  . 51,  55,  56 

in  District  IV . 

. 41-42,  75,  149,  178,  214 

mine  notes  for . 181-182 

roof  of . 75,  178 

No.  8  coal . 42-43,  208,  214-216 

No.  9  coal? .  44 


O 

Oil  and  gas  possibilities  in 

Fulton  County . 83-84 

Oneida,  No.  6  coal  near .  107 

Orbiculoidea  missouriensis .  22,  206 
Orchard  Mines,  description  of 

mines  near .. 197-198,  200-201 

No.  2  coal  at .  200 

Orchard  shaft,  log  of .  . .  158 

P 

Parnell,  thickness  of  drift  at.  68 

Peabody  Coal  Company,  mine 

No.  6,  description  of . 

. 61,  218-219 

Peerless  Coal  Company’s  mine, 

description  of  . 217-218 

Pekin,  description  of  mines  at 

. 235-236,  237 

log  of  boring  southeast  of.  .  228 
McLeansboro  formation  at.  232 


No.  2  coal  at .  229 

No.  5  coal  at .  230 

No.  6  coal  at .  231 

No.  7  coal  at .  232 

Pendergast  Brothers’  mine, 

description  of  .  116 

Pennsylvanian  system,  general 

description  of  . 17-44 

subdivisions  of  .  20 


INDEX 


245 


PAGE 

Peoria,  channel  sandstones 

near  . 173-174 

description  of  mines  at.... 

. 191-193,  195-197 

thickness  of  Pottsville  near.  30 

Peoria  County,  Carbondale 

formation  in  .  33 

channel  sandstones  of...  165-175 
character  of  McLeansboro 

formation  in .  36 

chemical  character  of  coals 

of . 50,  51,  54,  55 

coal  resources  of . 155-202 

geology  of  . 155—180 

limestone  above  No.  6  coal 

in  .  41 

log  of  boring  in . 156-158 

Lonsdale  limestone  in .  42 

McLeansboro  formation  in . 

.  176-179 

mine  notes  from . 181- 

182,  184-186,  191-199,  200-202 

No.  1  coal  in .  202 

No.  2  coal  in . 199-200 

No.  5  coal  in . 34,  186-191 

No.  6  coal  in .  175 

No.  7  coal  in . 42,  180-181 

production  of  coal  in .  155 

shipping  mines  in . 60,  155 

variegated  shale  below  No. 

7  coal  in  .  41 

Petersburg,  description  of 

mine  at .  151 


“Petersburg”  formation,  see 
Carbondale  formation 


Pleasant  View,  No.  2  coal  near  225 

No.  5  coal  near .  225 

Pottstown,  description  of  mine 

at  . 201-202 

log  of  mine  shaft  at .  156 

No.  1  coal  at .  202 

No.  2  coal  at .  199 

Pottsville  formation,  correla¬ 
tion  of  by  means  of  fossi 

plants  .  31 

description  of . 


. 20-31,  158-160,  205,  229 

Pre-glacial  valleys,  influence 

of  on  mining  . 

. 14,  161-163,  179-180 

Prentice,  log  of  boring  near..  66 

Princeville,  description  of  mine 

at  . 185-186 


R  PAGE 

Ralls  Ford  shale  member .  207 

Ripley,  No.  2  coal  at .  225 

Riverton,  description  of  mine 

at  . 220-221 

Rock  Creek  limestone,  see 
Lonsdale  limestone 
Rock  Island  district,  average 

analysis  of  coals  of .  56 

“Rolls”  in  No.  5  coal . 88-90 


Roof,  No.  1  coal  Fulton  County 

.  80-81,  105 

No.  2  coal _ 105,  161,  200,  232 

No.  5  coal. 67,  78,  79,  87,  163, 
188-191,  213,  225,  230-231,  233 
No.  6  coal,  Peoria  County.  . 

. 176-177,  182-183 

No.  7  coal,  DeWitt  County. 

. 75,  178 

see  also  Mine  notes  for  the 
various  coals 

Rushville,  No.  5  coal  near. 224-225 

S 


St.  David,  description  of  mine 

at  . 93-94 

St.  Peter,  distribution  of .  18 

Saline  County,  average  analy¬ 
ses  of  coals  in .  56 


Sangamon  County,  anticlinal 

structure  in  .  209 

Carbondale  formation  in... 

.  205-207 

chemical  character  of  coals 

of  . 51-52,  54,  55 

coal  resources  of . 203-223 

geology  of  . 203-208 

limestone  above  No.  6  coal 

in  .  41 

log  of  boring  in . 20-24 

Lonsdale  limestone  in .  42 

McLeansboro  formation  in . 

.  207-208 

mine  notes  from . 216-223 

No.  6  coal  in .  214 

No.  7  coal  in .  214 

No.  8  coal  in . 42,  214-216 

PoPsville  formation  in .  205 

production  of  coal  in .  203 

shipping  mines  in.  .  .  .60-61,  203 

structure  of  . 208-210 

thickness  of  coals  in .  215 

thickness  of  drift  in .  204 

variegated  shale  below  No. 

7  coal  in . 


41 


246 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Sangamon  Coal  Company,  No. 

2  mine,  description  of .  .  .  . 

. 61,  219-220 

No.  3  mine,  description  of.  . 
. 61,  216-217 

Sangamon  County  Mining 
Company,  Jefferson  mine, 
description  of .  220 

Sargent  farm,  log  of  boring 

on  . 112 

Savage,  T.  E.,  assistance  of.  .  11 

Saybrook,  Carlinville  1  ime- 

stone  at  .  44 

identification  of  coals  near.  132 

log  of  boring  near . 129-130 

No.  7  and  No.  8  coals  near.  43 

Schuyler  County,  chemical 

character  of  coals  of.  52,  54,  55 

coal  resources  of . 224-225 

geology  of  . 224-225 

mines  in  .  224 

production  of  coal  in .  224 

Selbvtown,  description  of  mine 

at  .  223 

Shelbyville  moraine,  descrip¬ 
tion  of . 13-14 

Sherman,  description  of  mine 

at  . 218-219 

Shoal  Creek  limestone . 44,  139 

Silver  Creek  Colliery  Com¬ 
pany,  No.  1  mine,  descrip¬ 
tion  of  . 59,  102 

Simmons  Coal  Company,  mine 

at  Canton  . 59,  104 

Smith  farm,  log  of  boring  on.  109 

Snodgrass  farm,  log  of  boring 

on  . 108-109 

Scperville,  description  of  mine 

at  .  116 

South  Mountain  Coal  Com- 
panv’s  mine,  description 
of  ‘ .  151 


Springfield,  Carlinville  lime¬ 
stone  at  .  43 

description  of  mines  at . 

217-218,  219-220,  221-222,  223 

log  of  boring  near . 20-24 

No.  5  coal  near .  34 

No.  7  and  No.  8  coals  near.  .  43 

thickness  of  Carbondale 

near  . 31,  34 

thickness  of  Pottsville  near.  30 


PAGE 

Springfield  District  Coal  Min¬ 
ing  Company,  Cora  (No. 

51  )  mine,  description  of. 

. 61,  220 

No,  52  mine,  description 

of  .  . . 61,  220-221 

Woodside  (No.  53)  mine, 

description  of . 61,  221-222 

No.  55  mine,  description  of 
. 61,  222-223 

Springfield-Peoria  district,  av¬ 
erage  analyses  of  coals  in  56 

Star  Coal  Company,  mine  No. 

1,  description  of... 59,  99-100 
mine  No.  3,  description  of.  . 
. 59,  100-101 

Stearnes,  description  of  mine 

at  . 219-220 

Structure  of  District  IV  as  a 

whole  .  57 

see  also  under  County  head¬ 
ings 

Sugar  Creek,  workings  of  No. 

8  coal  along .  214 


T 


Tallula  Coal  Company’s  mine 

at  Tallula,  description  of.  154 

Taylor  and  Sons’  mine.  .  .  .185-186 


Tazewell  County,  Carbondale 

formation  in  . 229-231 

channel  sandstone  in...  173,  230 
chemical  character  of  coals 

of  . . 53,  54,  55 

coal  resources  of . 226—237 

geology  of . 226-232 

logs  of  borings  in . 227,  228 

McLeansboro  formation  in.  232 

mine  notes  from  . 233-237 

mines  in  .  226 

No.  2  coal  in . 228.  232 

No.  5  coal  in . 232-233 

No.  6  coal  in . 230-231,  232 

Pottsville  formation  in....  229 

production  of  coal  in .  226 

shipping  mines  in .  61 

thickness  of  drift  in .  226 


Tazewell  Coal  Company,  mine 

No.  1,  description  of . 

. 61,  236-237 

Third  Vein  Coal  Company’s 

mine,  description  of.. 200-201 


INDEX 


247 


PAGE 


Toluca,  Carlinville  limestone 

at  .  44 

log-  of  borings  near.. 39,  40,  131 

Towns  .  15 

Transportation  .  15 


U 

Udden,  J.  A.,  assistance  of.  .  .  11 

Union  Fuel  Company,  mine 
No.  2,  description  of.... 61,  223 
mine  No.  4,  description  of.  . 

. 60,  151-154 

mine  No.  5,  description  of. 

. . .  61,  223 

Upper  Mississippian,  see 
Chester 

V 

Variegated  shale  below  No.  7 

coal  .  41 

Virginia,  log  of  boring  near. 63-64 

W 

Walben  mine,  see  M.  E.  Case 
Coal  Company 

Walburg’s  mine,  description..  115 

Wantling  mine,  see  Hoffman's 
mine 


PAGE 

Wapella,  thickness  of  drift  at  68 

Washington,  log  of  boring  at.  227 
No.  2  coal  at .  229 

Wataga,  description  of  mine 

at  .  116 

No.  6  coal  near .  107 

Waynesville,  thickness  of  drift 

at  .  68 

Wesley,  channel  sandstones 

near  . 173,  230 

Wheeler,  W.  F.,  assistance  of.  11 

White,  David,  paleobotanical 

work  of .  31 

White,  K.  D.,  assistance  of...  11 

“White  top” . 41,  176,  231 

origin  of .  176 

see  also  Mine  notes 

Williamson  County,  average 

analyses  of  coals  in .  56 

Wolschlag  mine,  channel 

sandstones  near .  173 

Y 

Young’s  mine,  see  John  D. 

Y  oung 


1 


PUBLICATIONS 


ILLINOIS  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 


ILLINOIS  STATE  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  DIVISION 

URBANA,  ILLINOIS 


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Preliminary  report  on  organization  and  method  of  investigation,  1913. 
Chemical  study  of  Illinois  coals,  by  S.  W.  Parr,  1916. 

Coal  resources  of  District  I  (Longwall),  by  G.  H.  Cady,  1915. 

Coal  resources  of  District  VII,  by  Fred  H.  Kay,  1915. 

Coal  resources  of  District  VIII  (Danville),  by  Fred  H.  Kay  and  K.  D. 
White,  1915. 

Coal  resources  of  District  VI,  by  G.  H.  Cady.  1916. 

Coal  resources  of  District  II  (Jackson  Co.),  by  G.  H.  Cady,  1917. 
Surface  subsidence  in  Illinois  resulting  from  coal  mining,  by  Lewis  E. 
Young,  1916. 

Tests  on  clay  materials  available  in  Illinois  coal  mines,  by  R.  T.  Stull 
and  R.  K.  Hursh,  1917. 

Carbonization  of  Illinois  coals  in  inclined  gas  retorts,  by  F.  K. 
Ovitz,  1918. 

The  manufacture  of  retort  coal-gas  in  the  central  states,  using  low- 
sulphur  coal  from  Illinois,  Indiana,  and  western  Kentucky,  by  W.  A. 
Dunkley  and  W.  W.  Odell,  1918. 

Water-gas  manufacture  with  central  district  bituminous  coals  as  gen¬ 
erator  fuel,  by  W.  W.  Odell  and  W.  A.  Dunkley,  1918. 

Mines  producing  low- sulphur  coal  in  the  central  district,  by  G.  H. 
Cady,  1919. 

Water-gas  operating  methods  with  central  district  bituminous  coals  as 
generator  fuel.  A  summary  of  experiments  on  a  commercial  scale, 
by  W.  A.  Dunkley  and  W.  W.  Odell.  1919. 

Gas  purification  in  the  medium- size  gas  plants  of  Illinois,  by  W.  A. 

Dunkley  and  C.  E.  Barnes,  1920. 

Coal  resources  of  District  IV,  by  G.  H.  Cady,  1921. 


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ENGINEERING  EXPERIMENT  STATION 
URBANA,  ILLINOIS 

Coal  mining  practice  in  District  VIII  (Danville),  by  S.  O.  Andros,  1913. 
Coal  mining  practice  in  District  VII,  by  S.  O.  Andros,  1914. 

Coal  mining  practice  in  District  I  (Longwall),  by  S.  O.  Andros,  1914. 
Coal  mining  practice  in  District  V,  by  S.  O.  Andros,  1914. 

Coal  mining  practice  in  District  II,  by  S.  O.  Andros,  1914. 

Coal  mining  practice  in  District  VI,  by  S.  O.  Andros,  1914. 

Coal  mining  practice  in  District  III,  by  S.  O.  Andros,  1915. 

Coal  mining  practice  in  District  IV,  by  S.  O.  Andros,  1915. 

Coal  mining  in  Illinois,  by  S.  O  Andros,  1915.  (Complete  resume  of 
all  the  district  reports.) 

Subsidence  resulting  from  mining,  by  L.  E.  Young  and  H.  H.  Stoek,  1916. 
Percentage  of  extraction  of  bituminous  coal  with  special  reference  to 
Illinois  conditions,  by  C.  M.  Young,  1917. 


U.  S.  BUREAU  OF  MINES 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


Bulletin  72. 
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Occurrence  of  explosive  gases  in  coal  mines,  by  N.  H.  Darton,  1915. 
The  humidity  of  mine  air,  by  R.  Y.  Williams,  1914. 

Mine  ventilation  stoppings,  by  R.  Y.  Williams,  1915. 

The  inflammability  of  Illinois  coal  dusts,  by  J.  K.  Clement  and  L.  A. 
Scholl,  Jr.,  1916. 

Use  of  permissible  explosives  in  the  coal  mines  of  Illinois,  by  J.  R. 

Fleming  and  J.  W.  Koster.  1917. 

Coking  of  Illinois  coals,  by  F.  K.  Ovitz,  1917. 

Technical  Paper  190.  Methane  accumulations  from  interrupted  ventilation,  with 
special  reference  to  coal  mines  in  Illinois  and  Indiana,  by  II.  I. 
Smith  and  Robert  J.  Hamon,  1918. 

Technical  Paper  246.  Water-gas  apparatus  and  the  use  of  central  district  coal  as 

generator  fuel,  by  William  W.  Odell,  1921. 


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